Hedone Ranch
by JenJadeEyes
Summary: Stressed out, Bella seizes an opportunity to get away. After being mistaken for her movie-star boss at a "spa", she finds out her boss has been using her name to keep big secrets. When is a spa not a spa? When it's a brothel. See what Bella discovers about herself during her stay. AH
1. Poetry

A/N: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 1 - **Poetry**

"Yes, I understand Mr. Spielberg is an important man, but you're not listening; his office called Ms. Brandon's office. As Ms. Brandon's personal assistant, I'm simply returning the call."

Bella Swan thought – not for the first time - that she'd never be comfortable here in Hollywood. She hated the hierarchies of contact, the posturing, the false claims of help; that was just the assistants! It got worse the higher up the chain you went: from the agents, to the casting directors, to the directors and all the way through to stars like her boss, Alice Brandon.

In all of her small, perky glory, Alice piped up from the desk facing Bella's in their shared office while the woman on the other end of the phone droned on. "Shelly Cope will tell me what's going on; see if you can talk to her." Bella nodded as she continued twisting her long brown hair around a pencil—her way of directing her anger anywhere but through the phone. She didn't want to let her irritation show, but if this lady wouldn't shut up about how she hadn't followed the proper procedure for contacting Mr. Spielberg…

"Okay, look, Michelle, was it? If this isn't the correct circle of hell, you just tell me which circle of hell I should be talking to so I can hash this out with them. Better yet, walk around your office until you find Shelly Cope and put her on the phone instead. I'll wait."

Alice's eyes bulged as she held in her laughter. She loved it when Bella stopped playing the Hollywood game and just cut to the chase. Little did Alice know what it cost Bella emotionally to have to fight for every minor thing. Bella reflected that there must be way to make things go more smoothly; she had seen other assistants have less trouble navigating these same pathways. Bella had managed her entire household from the age of 10 for her loveable yet flighty mother, but couldn't seem to get an appointment with a director who had already asked for a meeting!

"Shelly, hey, Bella Swan here. How's the most connected person in Hollywood? Great! Look, I'm returning Mr. Spielberg's call. Ms. Brandon is leaving town for vacation today and won't be available until the 23rd. Her office will be closed until then. Did you want to get something on the books now? She has a press junket immediately on her return, and she starts a new film the first of May." After a moment, she quickly typed into her calendaring program and replied, "Yeah, that works."

Bella paused, and then asked, "Do you know which project he was calling about so that Alice can be prepared going into the meeting? You've got nothing? Hush-hush, huh? You didn't listen at the door with a glass? " She faked a laugh at the response given. "I don't buy it, Shelly. You know everything. Nothing? Okay. Talk to you soon." Turning to the Alice, Bella raised her eyebrows and sighed. "Shelly says she doesn't know."

"What a crock!" Alice beamed at her. "And I don't want to hear you say ever again that you can't act! 'Michelle, if that's what your name is' - brilliant!" Grinning as Bella rolled her eyes, Alice continued. "Are you sure you don't wanna come with me?"

"God, no, Al. You've got six months of craziness following these two weeks—go be with your parents and have some family time."

Alice Brandon started out as a normal college roommate, and to Bella, coming from the relaxed sunny atmosphere of Phoenix, Arizona, with her nearly-hippie friend-instead-of-mother and then the relaxed, rainy atmosphere of Forks, Washington, with her no-nonsense, taciturn father, Alice seemed especially typical of high-energy L.A. She was pert, beautiful, skinny as a rail, had both parents wrapped around her finger, and had chased her dreams and caught them, playing bit parts in extremely low-budget indie films. Bella found her high-octane personality and lack of guilt-ridden responsibility to be overwhelming and entrancing, all at once.

During their first semester together, a small indie film Alice had made a year previously was released and received massive critical acclaim, which led to commercial success. As Alice's star rose, guys on campus started to notice, which led to Alice finding herself in less than comfortable situations. This caused Bella's 'momma bear' instincts to rise to the fore. Once, a male co-ed didn't take Alice's "no" for an answer and took less than five seconds to trap Alice against a campus building with no way to move, much less fight back. Bella, being the daughter of a cop, had police-grade pepper spray with her, and after she utilized it, Alice and Bella's fledgling friendship solidified into something more firm.

That was the day Bella started doing for Alice what she'd done for her parents since they had divorced, putting the needs of others above her desires. For her mother, she'd been the adult, doing everything except earning the money that kept them housed, fed, and clothed. For her father, she'd been the housekeeper and cook. For Alice, she didn't have to do those things because Alice had an accountant and a cleaning service, and she barely ate. But Bella kept her calendar, made sure Alice was where she was supposed to be when she was supposed to be there, and in general made Alice's life smoother. It was an old, familiar pattern, and Bella recognized pretty quickly that she'd fallen into her usual rut when she started running interference for Alice. She just didn't seem to be able to stop as Alice's career skyrocketed. Alice kept asking for Bella's help, and Bella never felt comfortable saying no to her. In reality, Bella was a bit afraid that if she ever said no, she'd lose Alice's friendship.

So that was how Bella became the personal assistant and gatekeeper for Alice Brandon, the new inheritor of the 'America's Sweetheart' crown. Alice was such a large star now that the Alice Brandon Nebula was located somewhere in the pantheon of stars just beneath the Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan Galaxies and somewhere in the vicinity of the Sandra Bullock and Reese Witherspoon Supernovas.

"Wonder if Sal would know what new project Dreamworks has in the pipeline?"

"Al, you're leaving just as soon as the car gets here or you'll be late for your plane – no excuses. Let it go." Answering her ringing cell phone, Bella continued. "Alice Brandon's office. Lauren, hi!"

Alice blanched at the name of the publicist for her latest movie. Bella held out her hand to Alice, calming her non-verbally. "You want to add another few press dates on to the beginning of the tour? Look, Lauren, I'm afraid Ms. Brandon is not taking any appointments of any kind for the next two weeks. She's already cleared it with the studio." Bella crossed her eyes as she waited for the whining to finish. "Yes, I know you're doing your job, but that doesn't change the answer. She's going on vacation so she can recharge and be ready for the amazing junket you have scheduled. She wants to be camera-ready. That takes time."

Hearing a click on the other end of the line, Bella muttered, "No need to be bitchy," then turned off her phone and threw it into her small suitcase-sized purse next to her. It carried two iPhones; one for people to reach Alice, and another one for Alice to reach her. That phone was filled to capacity with Alice's calendar and favorite music and measurements and clothing inventory and clips of Alice's best performances and her CV and her favorite timewasters. Bella's purse always included two bottles of water, nasty meal replacement powder packets, ridiculous weight control bars, an Hermes scarf in case Alice dropped food on her clothes or she needed the perfect accessory, a small sewing kit in case of emergencies, an extra set of set of ballet flats just in case something were to happen to Alice's shoes, lip gloss in three of Alice's favorite shades, blotting paper, an aerosol mister for Alice's skin, sunscreen, a wallet with money for unexpected tips and copies of Alice's credit cards and ID, copies of all of Alice's keys (for her homes, cars, and storage units), and everything else she needed to do her job as Personal Assistant to her best friend, movie star Alice Brandon. Bella's purse weighed more than Alice did, and Bella saw it more than she saw Alice these days.

"Lauren may give you some grief the next time you see her."

"Let her. She's planned 10 cities in 14 days, including Sydney. I'll be lucky not to look like death warmed over by the time we're done with all that."

At the sound of Alice's gate buzzing, Bella perked up. Grabbing the Alice-centric phone out of her purse and shoving it into Alice's hands, Bella scooted Alice downstairs as she saw her off. "Okay, that's it then, Alice. You're officially on vacation. Get out of here and I'll see you in two weeks."

"God, Bell, what would I do without you?"

"Cry. Lots and lots of tears."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "You know that's not true. They cause wrinkles."

Laughing, Bella pushed her out the door. "See you in two weeks."

As soon as the car door had closed on Alice's waving arm, Bella allowed herself to collapse on the foyer stairs. She'd barely made it through the draconian season of awards hell—five awards shows from mid-January through late February, starting with Golden Globes and ending with Oscars—on top of the seasonal holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, and now she desperately needed to wind down. That much interaction with the media and agents and directors caused her too much stress; they did not react to her the way they reacted to Alice. Unlike Alice's sunny smile that melted the hardest hearts, Bella had to be hard and cold to get something—anything—done. She felt like she was aging before her time.

Bella and Alice had achieved a close friendship forged from shared captivity, but Bella often wished they'd had more time in college to just be friends. They'd both been ripped from the 'try anything' and 'discover yourself' mode of college and thrust into the 'trust no one' world of moviemaking, which was powered by extreme wealth, tabloid journalism, and paparazzi. It was fine for Alice, as she was getting what she wanted out of her fame, but Bella was just… not. She felt no sense of accomplishment, had no clear-cut career path, and certainly had no prospects for male companionship on the horizon. It was difficult to get a man to notice her when all the beautiful people in Hollywood surrounded her. After all, what man goes for the assistant when the movie star seemed just as accessible? That was why Bella needed time to contemplate leaving her job with Alice – Hollywood was Alice's dream, not hers. The problem was, she wasn't sure what her dream was. She'd spent so much time taking care of others that she'd never had the time to dream for herself and decide what was uniquely 'her'.

That was why, after the Oscars were over, when Alice handed Bella her presenter's swag bag and said, "Take anything you want out of here and USE IT," Bella immediately snapped up the three-day certificate to Peaceful Canyon Retreat and Spa. It was conveniently located three hours northeast from Burbank/LA by car, but was only a quick thirty-minute helicopter ride back, in case the famous needed to return to being famous quickly. Just last week, the spa had arranged to send a nurse practitioner to Alice's guesthouse for a medical history and blood workup so they could tailor treatments to Bella's body chemistry. _Man, __**only**__ in LA_, Bella had laughed at the time. Now she simply hoped the resort knew what it was doing; she needed someplace peaceful more than she ever had before.

* * *

><p>Bella forced her mind to quiet down as she reached the sign for the resort. <em>You deserve this break, Swan. Give yourself these three days to recharge.<em> _ Let all the crap go. _She parked to the side of the building, pulling a small purse and suitcase from the back seat of the car and heading inside to the check-in desk. As she entered the resort, the sound of waterfalls and the feel of gentle breezes began the process she hoped would continue for the three days she'd allowed herself to relax. Shuffling up to the desk, Bella was greeted by a sun-kissed blonde woman. Bella felt self-conscious about her own lack of sun as she took the woman in.

"Welcome to Peaceful Canyon Retreat and Spa. I'm Jessica. How can I help you?"

Smiling, she gave her name. "Bella Swan checking in."

"Certainly, Miss Swan. One moment please." Bella watched as the woman efficiently typed in her name, and then she tilted her head as the woman's faced blanched. "Is there a problem with the reservation? It may be listed under Isabella Swan."

The woman dragged her eyes from the screen and looked at Bella with a sense of… panic? "Our apologies, Miss Swan, we didn't have your arrival time on file or you would have been met at the door," Jessica quickly spoke. "Peaceful Canyon offers its sincerest apologies, Miss Swan. If you'll follow me, please."

Bella nodded and followed the woman down a long hall and through a doorway that led outside. Bella stumbled to a halt when she saw a helicopter in front of her, blades whirling. When Jessica passed off Bella's luggage, she realized her client was no longer beside her.

Walking back to Bella, the receptionist spoke loudly in order to be heard over the helicopter's wash. "Your VIP reservation is for our sister property; it's not far."

Nodding, Bella moved toward the helicopter, wondering how any place could be more relaxing than this resort but willing to do the due diligence to find out. After being belted in, Bella took in the beauty of the surrounding mountains and forests, amazed at the beauty that lay just outside the cesspool that was L.A. After being in the helicopter for 30 minutes and watching the sun fade into the horizon, she began to wonder just where the hell she was going. She asked the pilot.

"Hay-don-ay Ranch. Another half hour or so."

Bella smiled at the man with few words and waited to arrive.

* * *

><p>How did these people expect her to sit in a room full of books and wait patiently? Bella decided there was no way they could expect that of her, and so she decided to check out the shelves. She ambled from shelf to shelf, touching some of her trusted friends on one wall, having her curiosity sparked by other walls. The subjects ran from non-fiction biographies to books on Zen, feminism, and several books on the Oneida Colony, which Bella had never heard of before.<p>

Stepping behind a desk, Bella scanned the shelf of books and art that the owner of the room kept closest to them. She blushed heavily when she saw a copy of the Kama Sutra in the center of the shelf. It'd been too long since she'd done anything remotely connected to anything in that book. Turning to a framed quote, Bella read, "[She] had strong sexual desires and… it was degrading and immoral to pretend otherwise. – Mary Wollstonecraft." Trying to find something not sexually charged, Bella turned to a nearby ceramic plaque, and prayed she wouldn't upset the owner as she ran her hands over a Chinese character with the word "Harmony" written underneath. Next to it was a beautiful, red leather-bound book with gold-inlaid Asian writing on what would normally be considered the back. Bella could hardly help but lift it from its place on the shelf and run her fingers over the pictograms, trying to decipher what they were originally meant to depict.

"It's a beautiful book, isn't it?" a masculine voice spoke from the doorway. Bella turned guiltily toward the sound.

Her mind gave a "holy crow!" as she took in the handsome man standing in the doorway. He had ice-blond hair and deep blue eyes with beautiful laugh lines. Now she knew she was outside of LA; if she were there, he'd have had some work done to remove those wrinkles. His lips were generous, and he licked them, making her want to help him the next time. She took in his broad shoulders under a deep blue dress shirt and his slim waist behind grey dress pants, and then she snapped her eyes back to his. The picture he gave was of a confident, successful man. She felt a twinge of lust, but tamped it down immediately. He wouldn't be interested in a plain worker bee like her. _Shit, I took too long to check him out, didn't I?_

"It's exquisite." She didn't have to tell him she meant him and not the book. It would be her little secret.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Bella. I'm Carlisle. I own and manage Hedone Ranch."

Shivering mentally from hearing her name fall from his lips, Bella shook his well-manicured hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Well, Bella," Carlisle's dark chocolate voice intoned as he sauntered to the side of his desk and leaned a hip on it. "You've caused quite a bit of confusion around here."

_Damn_, Bella thought. _He just radiates masculinity_. Leaning against the opposite side of the desk, she hung her head. "Nothing new, then. What's happened this time?"

"Your name is flagged in our system as a VIP. You may not be aware, but Ms. Brandon has been to our facility, and she used your name for privacy reasons."

Realizing her holiday was probably over, Bella sighed. "I asked her not to do that anymore. Sorry to cause so much extra work…"

"Oh, it's no extra work at all. Alice has been a guest here several times. The first time was probably before you asked her to stop using your name. I contacted her to see how she wanted to handle things. She asked me to treat you as I would her. She also said to tell you to enjoy your week."

Bella startled. "The gift certificate was only for three days… and it was for Peaceful Canyon. I should head back there. Where am I, anyway?"

"You're in Nevada, and you're quite welcome to stay here. There are only two other guests here. We pay detailed attention to the special needs of our guests and the desire each of them has for total secrecy while they are here. Plus, it would be difficult to leave since you don't have a car here."

"Just what 'special needs' do you cater to?"

"You caught that, did you? Well, because you didn't fill out our usual questionnaire, I don't know quite how to answer you. You're a bit of an enigma to me."

Bella bristled as a corner of his mouth turned up. "I'm pretty much an open book. Not much surprise here."

"I would beg to differ," Carlisle countered. "Every woman is an enigma." Bella heard the word 'beg' and lost her focus as she envisioned this man on his knees. "How do I explain Hedone Ranch to you?"

"Surely you've described your services before. Just give me the basics."

"Well, that's the problem. This isn't a basic sort of place. That's why it's so difficult to explain." His eyes widened, and Bella felt herself get a bit lost in them. "I wonder if you would identify with a discussion of energy fields and chakras?"

Bella's eyes turned to him and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "That approach would be better saved for my mom. She's the New Age aficionado."

Smiling, he continued. "Yes, you seem a bit too practical for that kind of explanation. I could discuss our advocacy of the sacred feminine..." At Bella's nearly-impolite snort, he continued. "No? Not interested in religious symbolism, then?"

"Not really," Bella countered. "Try again."

"How about a straightforward approach?" Carlisle offered.

"I would prefer that, yes."

Bella watched as Carlisle pushed away from the desk and moved toward her, changing from a mild-mannered gentleman welcoming people to the ranch into a stalking, loose-hipped sexual predator, gunning straight for her. Her breath caught, and her focus narrowed from his movement to his eyes, trying to see if she could tell when he would pounce. Bella flinched as he took the book from her hands, and then relaxed as he turned his eyes to the book, flipping through it as he continued.

"This, my dear Bella, is a place to explore your sexuality. It is a sex-positive place; the attitude here is that all consensual sexual activities are fundamentally healthy and pleasurable, and we encourage sexual pleasure and experimentation by and between adults."

As Carlisle's eyes crashed back into hers, Bella could feel her breathing become shallow.

"There are some philosophical points of reference that you seem unconcerned with, so I won't bore you with our dedication to the sacred feminine, and the desire of the men who reside here to commune with it."

His dropping the open book to the desk caused Bella's heart rate to jump and her breathing to increase. His open hand rested on one half of the book, holding it open to a specific page. Looking into his eyes, she saw the fire and lust that had been barely visible before now burning brightly in his eyes, and she wanted to feel the heat he was radiating scorch her skin.

"Basically, to the outside world, this would be called a brothel; men available in utmost secrecy and with the assurance that they are absolutely disease free, purely for the sexual gratification of our guests."

Bella gasped.

After being stunned into silence for what seemed like hours, she recovered her wits enough to exclaim, "You're telling me Alice knows this… this… _debauchery_ goes on here?"

As he moved closer to her, Carlisle dragged the book along the desk, the sound sending shivers through Bella's already overwhelmed nervous system. She wondered just how hot his eyes were going to get; they seemed to burn brighter each time she looked at them. "Bella, dear, debauchery was originally defined simply as 'indulgence in sensual pleasures.' And yes, Alice knows this goes on here."

Carlisle gave a small chuckle, and Bella thought it must be at the stunned expression she was sure to be displaying. "I'm sure you know that utmost secrecy is so important in her line of work. Visiting Hedone Ranch allows her a tabloid-clean love life for her Hollywood career and a sexually satisfying private life away from public judgment."

Bella's brain began to spin. That was how her friend never got caught in some horrific tabloid scandal? She'd always thought it had to do with airtight non-disclosure agreements shoved under the noses of every man who ever asked her on a date. She couldn't believe Alice had managed to keep this place a secret from her.

"You know, Alice isn't the only famous name that comes here, and none of them are listed by their real names in case billing records are compromised."

Bella crossed over to her purse and retrieved her phone. She quickly tapped out a message to Alice. _WTF is this place? How long have you kept this from me? Stay a week? Are you serious?_

She turned her attention back to Carlisle. "Why wouldn't Alice have told me of this place? Is it some sort of STI breeding ground? Oh God, did Alice catch a sexually transmitted disease from a male prostitute?"

Carlisle's eyes went from predatory to irritated in seconds. "Of course not. You allowed blood work to be taken for the Peaceful Canyon tailored diet and treatments. Since your name was flagged for Hedone Ranch, they also ran checks for STIs. Every worker at the ranch is checked monthly for STIs as well. It's more than the state of Nevada requires for brothels, in fact. We don't advertise as one simply because the state requires sex workers to submit a pap smear every six months; that would be complicated for us, to say the least."

Bella looked down as her phone chimed an incoming text message. _Find out WTF. That's the idea. Don't worry about every little thing. Oh, and HAVE FUN! _Bella dropped the phone into her purse with a heavy sigh.

The irritation faded from Carlisle's eyes. "Did Alice reassure you about the ranch?"

"Not the way I wanted her to."

Carlisle nodded. "Let me see if I can do a better job. Hedone Ranch is for fear- and worry-free hedonism. In its original definition, hedonism was defined as the quest for pleasure that would only have good consequences. Would you like a demonstration of what I mean by 'good consequences'?"

Bella stood frozen. _Did this sex god just offer to demonstrate his sex skills to me? And if he did, am I going to LET him? _

Although she didn't remember doing so, Bella must have nodded, because Carlisle picked up the red leather book from the desk and returned it to her hands, opened to pages that held short lines like a poem, but that she couldn't decipher, much like Carlisle. As his hands caressed the pages, Bella dragged her eyes down to them, noting the hair on his arms and wanting to feel it against her skin.

"This is a poem by Ikkyu Sojun, a 15th century Zen priest. He believed sex deepened the experience of enlightenment; that we're all of sex, and we should embrace it, not avoid it." Carlisle moved to stand behind her right shoulder, gently brushing her hair behind her ear as he moved even closer. "Let me translate it for you."

Placing his left hand on her hip, Carlisle ran the fingers of his right hand over the characters on the page, stroking them lovingly as he began to whisper the poem into her ear.

"Return to the origin

Enter naked  
>Creator<br>Created

One sperm  
>One egg<p>

One spirit  
>One sex"<p>

Dazedly watching Carlisle's hand leave the book, then feeling both his hands running from her thighs up the outside of her dress, Bella's breath hitched.

"Revel in your body  
>Feel your surface"<p>

_I should stop him_, she thought as she stared at the Asian characters on the page before her. _But I don't want to stop him. _She felt his hard body brush against her back as his hands brushed the side of her breasts. His hot breath scorched the back of her neck.

"Touch each other freely  
>Live your love<br>Follow your lust to the source"

He pressed against her firmly, his hand making a smooth and certain path down her chest and ending up between her legs. He caressed her there as he moved his mouth back to her ear to continue his whispered recitation. Bella closed her eyes and felt she really should stop this. She decided she would just as soon as his hands stopped transferring his heat to her, melting her from the inside out.

"Use your imagination  
>Wear what your lover likes<br>Play your favorite song  
>Go where the mood takes you<br>Show the mood in your eyes"

Carlisle removed the book from Bella's hands, placed it on the desk, and turned her to him. She kept her eyes closed, knowing that if she looked at him, she'd be immolated. He moved close enough to press one of his thighs tightly between hers, ran his fingers into her hair, and pulled gently to get her to open her eyes. When she did, she was paralyzed by the raw carnality in his. _I've never had a man look at me this way before. There is no way in hell I'm going to stop him._ Her hands grasped his waist as she gave herself over to the experience. Rubbing the soft material of the expensive shirt, her hands took in the solidly muscled body beneath her fingers.

"Open the door  
>To your bedroom<br>To what lies beyond"

Bella felt warmth around her wrists, changing their position. After resisting a moment before realizing it was Carlisle's hands, she relaxed into the motion. He slowly moved her hands to his back from his waist, down to his muscled ass, then down to the top of his thighs as he moved both feet inside of hers and rocked his hard length into her. Bella's mouth went dry. He'd just made her feel him up. She wanted to do it again. Immediately.

"Invite your lover in  
>Let yourself be taken"<p>

_Oh shit_, Bella thought as he began to thrust against her. _Oh shit oh shit oh shit._ Carlisle's hands tangled once again into her long hair, his thumbs stroking her neck and collarbones and into the hollow at the base of her throat. He bent down, whispering the next few lines into her neck.

"Relax in the tension  
>Put technique aside<br>Do not rush  
>Do not be afraid<br>Let love come"

Carlisle's hands moved slowly from her neck downward, and she could hear his labored breathing as he dragged the backs of his fingers over her rock-hard nipples. She grabbed for one of his arms, half-heartedly trying to stop him. The hair on Carlisle's arms distracted her and caused her to realize her previous sexual experience had been with college boys. She was here with Carlisle, and he definitely was a capital-M Man. He began rotating his hips, causing her breathing to come in harsh gasps.

"Be as a perfect mirror  
>Reflecting the light from within<br>Under the moon  
>Under the sun<br>Make the first move

Gaze into your lover's eyes  
>See yourself<br>A cloud  
>Floating<br>Filled with rain"

His mouth moved to her jaw, his breath hot on her flesh; she felt the heat coming from inside and out. She clenched his arms and could feel every movement of his hands, one pulling her hair lightly and the other on her breast, his thumb rubbing tight circles on her hardened nipple. She moaned in pleasure, causing Carlisle to quicken his movements. Bella knew she was burning, she just hoped she would survive the coming conflagration. His voice rasped out the next lines.

"Make love  
>Here<br>Now  
>Anywhere<br>One time, one meeting"

Bella rocked in time with Carlisle. His eyes scorched her as the intensity of his thrusts increased, and yet stayed in time with his recitation.

"Do it again  
>And again<br>And again"

Bella ignited, quietly but powerfully. Carlisle wrapped her in his arms as she burned, picking her up and moving her to the nearby couch as he whispered the last lines in her ear.

"Fall together in blissful sleep  
>Dream the dream of the dreamer dreaming<p>

Today is your birth day

Awaken"

* * *

><p>As Bella's awareness returned to her, she was sprawled across Carlisle's body, sensing him gently massaging her scalp, her back, her sides. She felt drugged and hypersensitive at the same time. She realized she was still fully clothed and Carlisle had never even kissed her, and yet she'd just experienced the most powerful sexual encounter she'd ever had. <em>So that was the difference between boys and men, then. I think I'd like to stick with men in the future.<em>

She moaned in embarrassment and tried to push off of his body. Carlisle held her fast and asked, "Would you like to stay with us for the week?"

Her mind boggled at the possibilities. She was surprised to find herself actually considering staying. "How many men are here?"

"There are ten currently medically approved for guest interaction."

"How does this work? Do I just place an order?"

He chuckled softly. "Well, you could do that, or I could help you plan a course of exploration. I usually recommend that to all our new guests. It ensures you get the most out of your time here."

She drew her eyebrows together. "I don't want to be pushed into anything..."

"Nothing happens here without your approval, Bella. I would base each new experience off of your comments regarding the previous experience. That way your encounters become progressively more adventurous. You only have to go as far as you wish. The attendants understand that we encourage sexual pleasure and experimentation by and between adults. Nothing is forced… unless you like that sort of thing."

She rested against him, thinking. She wanted to stay. She could think of this as a concentrated post-college experience, with men who knew what they were doing, not fumbling boys. She had missed out on most of the experimentation of college, and now she was at an age where men would expect her to have experience sexually, yet she had no other convenient avenue to discover the knowledge she needed. She wondered if she could find some of her feminine power and begin to use it, like Alice did, like lots of women do.

One thing she knew for sure. If this experience was any indication, it would be great stress relief.

She wanted to do it, purely because she wanted to, not because she felt guilted or badgered into doing it to keep someone's affection. Although it felt self-centered, she imagined it would be liberating. She made her decision.

"I think I'd like to stay."


	2. Lip Service

Chapter 2 - **Lip Service**

Bella woke with the bright sun warming up the room Carlisle had guided her to the night before. She'd been too exhausted to notice her accommodations last night, so as she sat up, she took in her surroundings. She decided if she had to write a review of the room, she'd say 'luxurious but not ostentatious'.

As she became more alert, Bella felt like maybe she'd made a mistake letting Carlisle touch her the way he had, even though it would be her favorite mistake for the foreseeable future. She'd always imagined herself as a person who needed to be in a relationship to feel comfortable having someone touch her that way, but Carlisle had brought to the fore a part of her that wanted to simply experience her sexuality. She didn't know what to do with that part of herself. Well, that was a lie; she knew what to do, she just wasn't sure she could do it without feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable in her own skin. And what kind of woman was she if she let these men meet her desires without giving any consideration to their wants? Even the thought of staying and enjoying the experiences Alice had paid for left her jittery. If she left now, she could save herself a heap of future anxiety and spend the rest of her vacation trying to forget the best thing that had happened to her since… well, since forever.

As she turned to get out of bed, she noticed a silver tray with a domed food cover and a glass of orange juice sitting on her nightstand. A piece of heavy cardstock with beautiful, masculine handwriting leaned up against the dome. She picked it up to read it.

"Bella – I woke with a great feeling of contentment reflecting on the pleasure we shared yesterday. Thank you."

_Shit. Even his thank-you notes were sexy._

"Think of what you desire out of your time here. Please write down your thoughts on the back of this page so that I can help you reach your goals. I'd be honored if you would join me for a late lunch. I can retrieve the card then.

Jasper will be dropping by to pick up your tray around 10 a.m. He is also available to spend time with you, if you desire. If you've changed your mind about staying, let him know and he'll help you find your way to the front lobby and arrange transportation back to your car.

Appreciate all, regret nothing.

Carlisle"

Bella's hand began to shake. The good girl inside her–the one that took care of her parents, followed all the rules, and did what she was supposed to do when she was supposed to do it–thought she really should pack her bag and get the hell out of here. The one that left college to help Alice, the one that could keep Alice on schedule and at the same time outwit hordes of paparazzi—the Bella that knew there was more inside her than she had ever really let out—really wanted to stay. What would she want to get out of the week if she stayed? Stress release? Lessons in advanced sex techniques? An understanding of how men think? The ability to tap into her own sexual power?

Bella began to pace, her mind whirling. She didn't like the nebulous descriptions Carlisle seemed to be fond of. "Spend some time" seemed too generic. Was Carlisle offering to set her up on a date? Surely not. He must mean that this Jasper was to be her first arranged sexual partner.

_Are they called "johns"' if I'm receiving the service instead of giving it?_

Looking at the domed cover, Bella knew she wouldn't be able to eat. What she needed to do was take a shower. Then she needed to pack and get the hell out of this insanity and back home to the insanity of Hollywood.

* * *

><p>Hearing the fast knocks on her door caused Bella's heart to speed up to match. Frantically throwing her mostly-closed toiletry bag into her suitcase to join her wadded-up clothes, she called, "It's open."<p>

Out of her peripheral vision, she watched the door opened slowly. Eventually, an extremely tall, lanky cowboy was revealed; white hat, pearl-snap shirt with the sleeves rolled up, well-worn jeans, boots and all. _Damn, he's gorgeous. And I can "spend time" with him right now? Change your mind immediately, Swan. Seize this moment._ Without looking directly at him, she called out, "It's Jasper, right?"

Removing his hat as he nodded, Bella noticed that he smelled like sunshine and fresh-cut grass. Turning to face him, she saw his eyes were the blue of the sky on a clear, sunny day, and they seemed to jump out from his sun-kissed skin. He had chin-length dark blond hair pushed behind his ears, and she could see that when not forced flat under the hat, it would be curly. _Why did he have to be so good looking? Didn't he know that made it harder for her to say no to this whole idea?_

Eyeing her full suitcase, he asked quietly, "Do I need to make arrangements for you to return to Peaceful Canyon?"

"I think so. I don't think I can go through with this." Bella crossed her arms.

"Why not? Don't you deserve to get what you want?"

"Deserving it and paying someone to give me what I want—and then wondering if it's anything close to what they want—are two different things." Bella zipped up her suitcase, tugged it off the bed, and began rolling it toward the door.

"I see, so you don't go out to eat, then."

"What?" Bella stopped. "Of course I do."

"Do you pay to have them bring you what you want in a restaurant, or do you just let them decide what to bring to you? It costs less to get a set menu, but you might not like what you get."

"Are you really comparing this place to a restaurant?"

"Why not? They both involve using your senses. Your sense of sight, smell, touch, taste… they create a desire and then fulfill the desire they create. And there, just like here, you can choose exactly what it is you'll… experience. "

Bella's eyebrows rose. "I think that's the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard."

Jasper smirked at her, then walked over to the couch and sat down. "I like it here because there are no games. It's just two people getting together for pleasure. The women who visit are usually quite honest with me. They tell me what they want, and I do my best to give it to them, because I like pleasing them. But something tells me you honestly don't want to ask for what you want. Why is that?"

Bella simply stood where she was and stared at him, wondering if he was some sort of psychology major in a former life.

"Do you go out on dates?" he continued.

"I do, of course I do." _Not any time recently, but you don't need to know that…_

"What happens?"

"What do you mean? The normal stuff happens."

"Normal stuff, such as a guy takes you out, pays for a meal and some sort of entertainment, engages in a possibly painful attempt at conversation, then takes you home and tries to see just how far the money he spent will get him before deciding whether or not to call you again? "

"Well, that's not how I would describe…"

"Whether or not you would, that's what's going on. If you'd like to go back to that, taking a shot in the dark and hoping to hit what you want, I'll arrange for the helicopter to come pick you up."

Bella began to think that was the last thing she really wanted. So if she didn't want to go, did that mean she wanted to stay? She delayed thinking about it for a minute. "If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been here?"

"Ask me anything you want," Jasper said, motioning her over to sit beside him. "I've been here for five years. I've just taken over managing the horse ranch on the property, so I'll be spending less time with our guests, unfortunately."

Bella walked over to the couch and sat on the opposite end from Jasper, facing him. "How did you find out about this place?"

"My dad is a local politician back home in Texas. I started cattin' around in high school, and word got back to my dad that I was being less than a gentleman. It ticked off my dad's constituents, which in turn ticked off my dad. He complained to Carlisle, who was one of his college buddies. Soon after that, Carlisle came to visit and pulled me aside to offer me a job here on his ranch. He sweetened the offer by telling me he had access to all the women I could ever dream of if I was willing to listen to him about how to treat them. It seemed like a good offer for a teenage boy with more testosterone than sense."

Jasper adjusted his seating on the couch so he could face her more fully. "I was a mess when I got here. I was out to get mine, and while I like to think I was pleasing the girls I was with back home, I'm not sure now that I was. Carlisle requires all of us to take classes in all sorts of things; psychology, non-verbal communication, human sexuality, sexual methodology…."

Bella felt her breathing change, deepen.

Piercing her with his gaze, Jasper continued. "Basically, he turns us into men who know how to listen to a woman – what she says and what she doesn't say – so that we can bring her the highest pleasure possible."

_I think I may be ready to see what you learned from Carlisle, cowboy._

Scooting closer to her, Jasper stretched his arm along the back of the couch and wrapped a piece of her hair around one of his fingers. Keeping his eyes on her, he pulled the lock of hair gently toward him, rubbed it across his lips, and then kissed it. "You're so beautiful."

"You're paid to say that," Bella snapped as she blushed. "Don't give me compliments you don't mean."

"What on earth makes you think I'd say something I didn't mean?" Jasper asked as he rubbed the finger wrapped in Bella's hair from the corner of his mouth to his chin and back. "I could have said anything; 'you have pretty hair', or 'I really like that pretty dress', or any number of things if I didn't want to say anything about your looks. But I felt compelled to say you're beautiful because you are."

"How many women have you done this with? What if they ask you to do something you don't want to do? What if I don't know what I want, but I really want you to start doing it right the fuck now?" After she asked this last question, Bella's hand flew up to cover her mouth, as if it had escaped without her permission.

Jasper grinned. "Your mind is just all over the place, isn't it? Why don't you let me rub your feet and see if I can help you relax? Would that be all right?"

Taking a deep breath, Bella nodded. Jasper untwisted her hair from his finger and slid off the couch onto the floor, running his hands from her knees to her feet. _Oh lord, there was a man kneeling at her feet! _

"I'm so glad you wore a dress this morning. It makes things so much easier."

As Bella watched, he picked up her left foot and placed it in his lap. "You have pretty feet, too. Look at these beautiful high arches." Pressing his thumbs into the bottom of her foot caused Bella to jump. "You must be on your feet a lot to have them be so tender. Do you stand a lot for work?"

Bella shook her head. "I do a lot of running around. They're sore a lot."

Jasper hummed in response and then began massaging her foot in earnest. After several minutes, Bella could feel the low-level pain in her foot recede and closed her eyes to relax into the feeling. Switching feet, Jasper began the same ministrations on her right foot.

After another few minutes, Bella's tension was all but gone. She took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "That feels so much better."

Bella heard Jasper reply, "I'm so glad." Then she felt him raise her foot. She didn't think anything of it until she felt something warm and moist pressing against her arch. Her eyes flew open to see Jasper's lips against her foot and his eyes trained on her to see her reaction.

_Holy crow, what the hell is he doing?_ She tried to pull her foot away from him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm kissing your foot."

Bella blushed furiously and asked, "Why in the world would you do that?"

"Because I like kissing beautiful feet. Next I'm going to kiss your ankle. You've been warned."

As he did what he warned her he'd do, Bella squirmed at the sensation.

"Are you squirming because you're ticklish, or because you think you should be embarrassed?" Bella didn't answer. "I'm not doing this out of a sense of obligation, you know," Jasper said as he gave a small lick to her ankle, his eyes still trained on hers. "Since you didn't know what you wanted, I started doing what I like. I'm enjoying the hell out of this, and I hope you are, too." When Bella still didn't respond, he continued. "You're not complaining, and you've stopped squirming, so I'm going to keep going."

With that, Jasper placed her heel on his shoulder, then moved one hand up that leg to her knee and moved his mouth up the inside of Bella's calf, while his other hand massaged her other ankle. She grabbed the couch cushions next to her hips and tried to stop the room from moving.

When his mouth reached her knee, Bella flinched when he kissed the very prominent scar there. "Accident?" he asked.

"Bike. Ten stitches."

"Were you a daredevil?"

"No, just accident-prone. Still am, actually."

As Jasper's mouth moved to the inside of her knee and his tongue darted out to lick the back of it, Bella felt the simmering heat in her middle spread out all over her body. Her gasp caught Jasper's attention, and he returned his eyes to her. Her eyes flitted away from his. "You like that spot, hm? Do you like it on the other side just as much?" Turning his head to sample her other knee, his hair brushed the inside of her thigh. Bella's hips shifted involuntarily. _If he keeps that up, I'm going to grab onto his hair and…. _She couldn't decide if she wanted him to go higher or return in the direction he came from.

Skimming down her left leg, Jasper's mouth found its way to her foot. Bella tried not to let her disappointment show on her face. Jasper chuckled at her reaction. "Don't be sad. I'll be heading back that way soon. I'm going to see if you like something else first though, beautiful. Lay your head back and close your eyes for me."

Bella looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes, then leaned her head back against the couch and closed them, unable to watch. She heard rustling and a row of click-pops that signified snaps being undone and figured out that he was removing his shirt. She could barely get her thoughts together enough to wonder just what he was going to…

Her mind fell completely silent as she felt Jasper's hot breath on the bottom of her foot, right at the line where her toes joined her foot. Just as she started to process the inappropriateness of that action, she felt his mouth close around her small toes and his tongue run across the undersides. Bella moaned loudly.

Jasper released her toes and nuzzled against the crease under her big toe. "You make the sexiest sounds, darlin'. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." As he took her big toe into his mouth, making flicking motions between her big and small toes with his tongue, her back arched off the couch. As soon as she regained control of her body, she dragged her head forward, wanting to watch what Jasper was doing. The planes of his chest kept distracting her, and the disconcerting newness of having his mouth caress her toes made it difficult for her to look at him directly. When her eyes finally made contact with his, she could tell by his expression just how turned on he was getting. _He really is enjoying this – almost as much as I am._

Jasper sat back. "Are you wanting to see what you do to me, beautiful? I'd be happy to show you." With that, he lowered her foot to the zipper of his jeans and groaned raggedly as he dragged her foot across his rigid flesh. As he turned his attention to her other foot, Bella's eyes stayed frozen to the sight of her foot resting on a man's hard cock. _Okay, maybe he's enjoying this just as much as I am._

"You have a lovely blush, Bella," Jasper teased as his mouth returned to her ankle. "What dirty little thing were you thinking to make you blush like that?"

_I was thinking I didn't know my clit was connected to my feet, cowboy._ "N… nothing."

Jasper's eyes raked up her legs, watching his hands as he pushed her skirt high up on her thighs. Bella noticed that her chest was heaving as she gasped for air. She glanced up to see Jasper licking his lips, moving his eyes from her plain cotton panties to her face. "Well, now, isn't that the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard?"

She huffed a laugh at his re-use of her words, and then lost all her breath as he lowered his face to place a kiss right in the center of her damp panties. She could feel his hot breath against her, causing her hips to tilt forward. His hands moved under her knees and pulled her hips closer to him, nearer to the edge of the couch. The sudden movement caused her to yelp and grab onto the nearest objects for balance. One hand landed on the couch. The other landed in his hair.

"Oh, yeah, you grab right on. Hold tight, beautiful."

Bella blushed as Jasper's hands grabbed on to either side of her underwear and began pulling them down her legs. The embarrassment she expected to feel at being bared to him was mitigated by the embarrassment she felt at being unable to figure out how to move her legs to make the removal of her panties easier. After a tiny struggle, causing her to let go of her grip on his hair and steady herself against the couch, Jasper finally got her underwear where he wanted them, off of her and on the floor. Moving back to her, he ran his hands down her arms to her palms, picked up her hands, and moved them to the sides of his head.

"When I said 'hold on', I meant it." He smirked, moving his mouth back where it had been before the whole panty removal debacle began.

_It would probably be rude to say "Giddyup, cowboy" right now._

As his tongue touched her, her head fell back and her hands flexed, gripping his hair and pulling him in. His deep moan in response caused her body to shake in return, spreading her knees open slightly. Feeling her movement, Jasper put his hands just under her knees and pushed them up and back, causing her legs to spread wide open and her feet to land on his arms and slide down to the crook of his elbows. Eyes closed, she could feel his thumbs stroking the inside of her thighs, moving closer to the crease of her legs, as his tongue continued its exploration of her clit. She couldn't distinguish any particular actions, she just felt wetness and warm and texture and movement and… and…

_Oh god, oh yes, oh right there, yes yes yes…_

Just as Bella felt she might shake apart, he stopped. Her eyes flew to his, and she grabbed his hair and tried to pull him back into action. His responding chuckle irritated her. He looked up at her, eyes dancing, and his chin rubbed against her as he spoke.

"Don't fret, Bella, I'm just making sure you absolutely enjoy our time together."

With that, he placed her legs over his shoulders and wrapped his fingers around the front of her thighs, bringing her calves into intimate contact with his naked back, and returned his mouth to her. Her hips began to buck, trying to get his mouth right where she wanted it so that she could finish.

"Patience, sweet thing, settle down."

She growled in frustration, pulling his beautiful blond curls again, and the resulting deep moan from the man between her legs caused her to groan in response. When she felt his tongue press against her entrance, her groan changed to a shout. His eyes locked on hers as one of his hands drifted up under her sundress to rest on her naked stomach and the other skimmed up over her arm to cup her clothed breast. She watched, panting heavily, as his tongue continued to transfer its heat into her. She could hear a higher-pitched sound, somewhere between a moan and a shout. It took her a minute to realize it was coming from her, as she'd never heard herself make that sound before.

_Maybe that's because I've never had a man's mouth on me there before. _

Bella realized she was extremely close when the shaking that started in her legs began moving up to her stomach and arms and her abdomen started to contract rhythmically. Unable to hold her head up any longer, she flopped it back against the couch cushions and just felt.

The silk of his hair.

The wet of his mouth.

The heat of his body.

His hands moved then, one thumb raking over her nipple and the other stroking her clit. In seconds, he'd caused the earth to move, shaking her apart. Her back arched as she screamed out in pleasure.

* * *

><p>Coming back to awareness, Bella realized that Jasper was still between her thighs, stroking her gently with his tongue. Raising her head to look at him, she unclenched her hands from his hair and rubbed her thumbs over his temples. He opened his glittering sky-blue eyes and looked up at her as he kissed her clit one last time before kissing her thighs and then pulling her legs from his shoulders and leaning back.<p>

"God, darlin', that was amazing." Stroking her legs, he asked, "Can you move?"

Bella couldn't even think of how to move her legs, much less actually do it. She also couldn't hold her head upright or open her eyes all the way. She felt drunk. She felt wired. Her clit knew his mouth was still close and pulsed with want.

She stared at his mouth and groaned as he licked his lips. She knew he could taste her on his skin. She wanted… god, would he… ?

"Do you want me to kiss you, Bella?"

Her eyes slowly dragged up to his. "God, yes," she panted.

Taking her hands in his and placing them against his stomach, he ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders, then placed his hands on the couch by her hips and leaned his naked torso over her. Running her hands up his neck and into his hair, she grabbed tightly and pulled his face forcefully to hers, trying to communicate her pleasure and thankfulness to him through the intensity of her kiss. She could smell the musky scent of her orgasm on him, even though she couldn't discern any unusual flavor in his mouth. She moved her mouth all over his, trying to see if she could find it, experience something she never had before. When she didn't find anything, her disappointment caused her exhaustion to hit her hard, and her head and hands collapsed back to the couch.

"Oh, sweet thing, if I'd known you wanted to taste it, I would have saved some for you," Jasper mumbled. "Maybe next time." Taking a deep breath, he stood and pushed his hair back behind his ears. "You're tired. I'll get you into bed so you can rest." Effortlessly picking her up, he carried her to the bed and laid her gently on it. Curving a corner of his mouth up, he asked, "Should I call the helicopter to come pick you up? Let you go back to the land of the men who are only out for what they want, and not what will please you?"

Bella indicated "no" as quickly as she could with a shake of her head.

"That's good news, Bella. I'm glad you're staying." Lowering his mouth to hers again, he gave her a long, wet kiss. "Remember Carlisle wants to have lunch with you, beautiful. Just pick up the phone when you wake up, and he'll arrange everything, okay?"

Bella nodded.

His fingers pushed her hair back from the side of her face, and he placed a kiss on her cheek. Standing, he then returned to the couch, threw on his shirt but didn't close it, and picked up his hat. She barely noticed, as she was staring at the very large bulge straining the front of his already-tight jeans.

_How the hell was he walking with his cock that hard and bound up that way? And why didn't I take the chance to see it when I had the opportunity?_

Bella's eyes followed him as he moved to the door. After opening it, he stopped to look at her. "Rest well, Bella." He smiled, bowed slightly, and placed his hat back on his head as he left the room. Sleep followed soon after.

* * *

><p>Sitting down at the table with Carlisle, Bella blushed and placed her notes to the side of her plate.<p>

"Bella, thank you so much for joining me. How was your morning?"

If it were possible, her blush would have gone from severe to thermonuclear. As it was, she could barely squeak out a response. "Amazing." She grabbed the water in front of her and began gulping it down.

"I'm glad you were treated so well. Jasper informs me you'll be staying with us for the week. Is that true?"

Bella put her glass back down and nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

Leaning forward, he said, "Of course."

"Are you the only brothel in Nevada where people don't have sex?"

Carlisle leaned back in his chair and laughed for what seemed to Bella like a full minute. "Of course not, Bella. This is, however, the only place where we make sure you want what you've asked for. You seemed… tentative… about staying, so I chose an experience that would bring you pleasure, but still allow you a clear conscience regarding paying for sex if you decided staying here was not for you." Here he paused, thinking before he continued. "And considering Jasper told me you wanted to leave first thing this morning, it seems I read you correctly. May I ask what changed your mind?"

Bella shrugged. "I decided it was time I experienced a five-star restaurant."


	3. Viewing Pleasure

Chapter 3 – **Viewing Pleasure**

"You know, I've never really liked that analogy of Jasper's." Carlisle grinned. "But if it convinced you to stay, I may have to change my mind about it."

Bella looked down at her place setting and blushed.

"Why don't you choose something for lunch while I look over what you wrote for me? We can talk after you finish eating."

Bella cringed as she thought about her notes. "Now, huh?"

"Well, we do only have a week." His hand hovered over her notes. "Do you mind?"

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "No, I guess I don't." She watched as Carlisle read her notes, one hand holding the piece of cardstock and the other supporting his chin. Watching his eyes move down the sheet, she saw when he reached the bottom and started to read them again. When he finished for the second time, he looked up at her.

"I can work with this, Bella. Maybe not everything all in one week, but we can certainly work on several of these."

Bella nodded. "Good."

* * *

><p>After a wonderful lunch, Carlisle went from scintillating conversationalist to scandalous inquisitor. "So, did Jasper please you this morning?"<p>

Bella choked on her water. "Excuse me?"

"Would you like me to be more specific?"

"I don't think so. I liked him."

"That's not what I asked, Bella."

"You want to know if Jasper gave me an orgasm." Although Bella was sure her face was bright red, she decided to plow ahead. "And yes, he did. You talked to him this morning; don't you already know that?"

"Yes, I do. But I thought you and I could talk about it."

Snippets of scenes from that morning flashed through Bella's mind as she tried to figure out what to tell Carlisle: the warmth of Jasper's hands massaging her feet, the light Texas twang in his voice, the feel of his hair in her hands as she raised her head to see his face between her thighs…

_Okay, don't wanna tell Carlisle about that necessarily… _

She needed more water. Immediately.

"Bella, you do realize I'm asking so that I can make sure your next experience is what you want?"

She nodded; however, knowing that didn't help her lose her embarrassment over discussing what happened with Jasper. She managed to look everywhere but at Carlisle.

"Let's try this. What do you wish had happened differently?"

After a pause, she replied. "I wish I'd been comfortable enough to watch what he was doing to me the whole time instead of just once in a while. I would have liked to see more of his reactions. I think it would have added to the experience, somehow."

Carlisle nodded, thinking. "Anything else?"

"I wish I'd touched him more. I think I pulled out great big clumps of his hair, but I wish I could remember his skin under my fingertips and I can't."

Carlisle made an indistinct sound and squinted at her.

"Going back to Jasper's imperfect analogy, are you done with the appetizers? Are you ready to experience the first course?"

Bella felt her face flush again, but she was determined to discuss this subject in an adult manner. Looking straight at him, she asked, "Why, Carlisle, are you asking me if I want to have sex in your brothel?" At his questioning eyebrow, she continued. "If I'm going to spend the week here, I'm sure as hell going to commit to the whole experience."

"Good. May I introduce you to someone?"

"Is he who you have planned for the first course?"

Carlisle nodded. Taking a deep breath, Bella nodded back.

He stood. "Let me introduce you to Emmett, then."

* * *

><p>Carlisle walked Bella to a different wing of the ranch from where she was staying. At the end of a hall, he opened a door into a new hallway that had a bank of windows on one side. Inside the room, Bella could see something more elaborate than a home gym or hotel exercise center. Complicated machines that she was sure she would injure herself on should she ever try them cluttered the room. Over in the corner were a couple of punching bags – one small teardrop-shaped bag, hanging at about head height, and another one, about the size of a man. A blur of motion was hitting the second bag. All she processed about the guy was that he had short, dark hair, and she suddenly had the desire to lick every single drop of sweat off of every single very prominent muscle grouping on his back, for starters.<p>

"What do you think of Emmett, Bella?"

"Th... that's Emmett?"

"Yes. You may recognize him from his underwear modeling campaigns. He's plastered all over buses, sports magazines, newspapers…"

She stared at Emmett as he continued his workout. "And he works here?"

"It's not quite like that. He comes here to concentrate on maintaining his modeling physique while still being able to spend time with women who are interested in what he's interested in."

As she turned her face—but not her eyes—to Carlisle, she asked, "What's he interested in?"

"Sex. Showing off. Being watched. You did notice the walls to his workout room are made of glass on one side and mirrors on the other?"

Bella nodded.

"Emmett will show you anything you want to see, with absolutely no embarrassment on his side; simply ask him. He's also a very good at explanations – it's a talent of his."

Bella nodded again, still not taking her eyes off the man inside as he removed his boxing gloves and started toweling off. "So when will you arrange for us to meet?"

Carlisle opened the door to the workout room. "Now."

Bella's eyes flew to Carlisle's. "But I didn't…I'm not…I should go…"

Waving his hand in the direction of the room, he prompted, "No time like the present, Bella."

Nodding tightly, she entered the room and was hit with a scent that made her mouth water. It was some combination of sweat and powder and spice.

Carlisle followed her into the room and crossed over to shake Emmett's hand. "I hope we're not disturbing you, Em. I wanted to introduce you to Bella."

With both men facing her, she felt more than a bit uncomfortable. Watching Emmett wipe the sweat off his chest and neck wasn't doing anything to help her feel less so. She crossed her arms over her stomach to keep her hands from fidgeting.

Emmett licked some sweat off his top lip. "Where did you find this sexy thing, Carlisle?" His voice was clear and cheerful, with a hint of an accent that Bella couldn't place.

"The helicopter brought her."

"You're gonna have to give that guy a raise, then."

"You're right, as usual." Carlisle turned to Emmett and said, "I've got a conference call to get to. You'll see to Bella's needs from here?"

Letting his eyes roam all over her figure, Emmett replied, "Just what are Bella's needs, Carlisle?"

Bella unclenched her arms and wiped her hands on the sides of her sundress in an attempt to dry them.

Grinning, he replied, "Bella would like to discuss the entrees with you."

Emmett shook his head at Carlisle. "Jasper's restaurant analogy, huh?" Winking at Bella, he smiled. "I'm going to get cleaned up. Why don't you come with me, gorgeous?" Emmett strode through a door on the back wall, and Carlisle headed toward the door they had entered from. Bella stood still, in the middle of the two doors, looking between them. After a moment's thought, she turned and followed Emmett.

* * *

><p>Slinking through the door Emmett had strolled through, Bella entered what appeared to be a suite, with an open floor plan for the kitchengreat room area and a hallway off to the right seeming to lead to more rooms. Modern, clean-lined, masculine furniture was functionally placed around the room. She couldn't believe this was hiding right behind the workout room.

Wondering where Emmett had disappeared to, she fidgeted her way to the center of the large main room. Once there, she could hear water running and figured Emmett was showering after his workout.

Part of her wanted to go in there and immerse herself in the perfection of his body while dreaming about all it could do. She had a couple of long-held fantasies; maybe she could pull one of those out and dust it off. And it would be dusty – it had been at least two years since she'd seen an entirely naked man. She didn't count the disastrous date last year; that was a mistake the likes of which she never wanted to revisit again.

Suddenly, the room went quiet as the shower shut off in the other room. Half a minute later, Emmett sauntered into the living room, rubbing a towel over his wet hair and wearing only white boxer briefs with a red waistband. Unable to tear her eyes away from the white garment, she followed his stride to the refrigerator, where he pulled out some fluorescent drink. Bella watched it all: his Adam's apple bobbing as he slammed the drink, his chest where the towel's ends draped over his pectoral muscles, and his backside as he walked into the main room and leaned against the heavy-looking hall table with a narrow mirror above it.

Bella stared, amazed at just how comfortable Emmett was at showing himself off, walking around in his underwear with no crisis of confidence.

_If there were pictures of me in my underwear floating around in public, I'd probably commit ritual suicide._

Turning to fully face him, she took in his abs, the v above his hips, the line down the middle of his chest, all leading her eyes to his semi-erect cock. While she stared at it, it jumped to attention, causing her to mouth to water.

"You need to catch up, sexy."

Swallowing, she replied, "Excuse me?"

"Well, here I am in my underwear, and you're still dressed." With one hand, he removed the towel from his shoulders, and then braced himself on the dresser; the other stroked his hardness through his briefs.

"You're an underwear model. Surely you're more used to walking around like that than I am." Bella stared at his hand as it reacquainted itself with his cock. "And, unlike you, I didn't get a chance to put on my most attractive set."

Grinning, he replied, "Bella, I don't give a shit about your underwear. It's just a way to get you closer to being naked. That's what I'm really interested in."

_While the rest of him is quite nice, I. Must. See. His. Cock. C'mon, Swan, you can do this. It's the same old game - fake it 'til you make it._ Screwing up her courage, she stared pointedly at his erection and challenged, "Why don't you take that out and show it off?"

Teasing, he replied, "I can show it off fine while keeping it warm."

Bella continued her inappropriate staring. "Do you always touch it like that, with your hand open?"

"No. Usually I take off the underwear, use a little something to slick it up, and really get into it."

Bella had fumbled under the sheets with college boys but never really been given the freedom to just sit and watch a man jack off. She wanted to have that experience. And who better to take the opportunity with than a man who didn't mind putting himself on display? Looking him straight in the eyes, she replied, "Don't let me stop you."

"Wasn't sure what you had planned later."

_No plans yet, hot bod – you've short-circuited my brain…._

Pausing to take a deep breath, Bella asked, "How long would it take you to recover after…?"

Emmett stopped his gentle grazing as he contemplated his answer. "That depends." Relaxing again, he smiled. "If you're willing to give me some inspiration, I could be ready to go again in five minutes…less, probably."

She walked right up to him, stepping under the arm holding on to the table and leaned her hip against the wood so she could get a good view of his at-attention cock. She started sweating, and she stroked one hand from the middle of his back all the way down to where he leaned against the table. Her other hand drifted down the ripples of his abs. Lifting her mouth to his ear, she purred, "I want to see you jack off. I want to see how you handle your cock, and I want you to talk me through it so I know how to do it right."

Emmett gave a little growl and a small one-armed squeeze in response to her idea.

"But first, I want to take off your underwear."

"Oh, I want you to do that, too, sexy thing."

Bella stood, stepping in front of him and rubbing her stomach against his cock as her hands infiltrated the back of his underwear. Slowly, she moved her hands down, bunching the material under his well-shaped glutes. Sliding her hands around his sides, she headed for the front, eager to see what God gave Emmett.

With an anticipatory wince, Emmett cautioned, "Careful, babe. Pull out the band before you push them down."

_Aw hell, almost broke it! Bad Bella!_

Bella looked up at him. "Good to know. Thanks." Looking back down, she pulled the distracting red waistband out, freeing his erection to jerk and bounce, eager to get started. When she shoved the briefs down his legs to his knees, her eyes stayed locked on his cock and her cheek skimmed down the defined lines of his stomach.

_Damn, woman, you're nearly face-to-cock! Hello, Cock!_

Bella looked back up at Emmett's eyes before shakily backing away and reaching out to find the leather chair she knew was behind her. Sitting on the arm of the chair, she weakly demanded, "Show me. I want to see you do it."

Keeping his head down but tilting his eyes up to look at her, Emmett nodded. Kicking off his underwear, he pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and blindly searched inside. With a grunt of discovery, he pulled out a bottle of baby oil and flicked it open. Pouring some into his hand, he smoothed the oil over his hardness, then planted his feet, took himself in hand, and began stroking.

Not looking away from his hand's movements, she asked, "How tight are you holding it?"

"Tight enough to really feel it. I'd wince or take a sharp breath if I got grabbed too tightly."

"What's too soft?"

"As long as I know there's a solid stroke coming, I can handle a lighter one. If it's a minute or so of light ones, I'd ask for something harder."

Bella nodded in understanding. "How fast do you go?"

"I like starting slow—other guys might get frustrated, but I like the build-up."

"Are the veins sensitive?"

"To fingers? Not as…much as a…hot…wet…tongue. Wouldn't ask…after…putting on…baby oil…would be nasty." Bella continued to watch him pump his shiny cock and took note as his knees bent and his feet rotated out about 45 degrees. His concentration increased and he muttered, "Less talking now."

Bella heard Emmett's breathing change into slower gasps for air. She watched as his strokes changed, from light and slow to stronger and faster. She also noticed his hand turning as he neared the top of his stroke, and that he occasionally rounded his whole palm across the top of his cock. This seemed to cause him to moan every time, and each time he moaned, Bella could feel another wave of lust crash into her.

The next time it happened, she breathily asked, "Is that what feels best? Across the top like that?"

Emmett nodded. Bella then noted he returned to stroking almost immediately.

_Well, that was a mixed message… _

She shook at the sound of slick skin slapping. She watched everything; his bent head, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths, his legs starting to shake, his toes curling into the hardwood floor…

"Getting close…what do…you want? Me to…stop?" Emmett's deep breaths punctuated his question.

Licking her lips, Bella glanced at the floor, then back at his cock. "No. Keep going."

Breathing heavily, he lost some of his rhythm. Bella leaned forward, intently moving her eyes between his face and his moving hand. She could feel the heat of her arousal flooding out to her limbs from her center.

"Soon, babe... you wanna…?

"I want to see you come all over the floor."

Groaning in response, his hand sped up once again, and within five strokes he had done just as she requested. As he began to ejaculate, her eyes flew to his face to see how his orgasm washed over his features. Immediately afterward, his legs collapsed and he fell to his knees. After stroking a few more times to finish, he put both hands on the floor in order to catch his breath.

Bella absorbed the visual of Emmett's flushed body heaving for breath and the monochromatic Pollack painting on the dark wood floor.

_Wow, there's a lot less of it than I thought there would be... _

With one final deep breath, Emmett rose up to his knees and retrieved the towel off the top of the dresser. After he finished wiping his hands and his cock clean of the slick oil, he threw the towel over the artwork on the floor. Motioning with his hand, he encouraged her to come to him. "Your turn, babe. Come here, take that dress off."

Bella stood up and walked to him on shaky legs. _Another man kneeling in front of me – go me!_ When she got close enough, she leaned down slightly and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He grabbed behind her calves, pulling her forward and moved her feet to either side of his knees. He deepened the kiss and floated his hands up her body, pushing her dress upward. Anchoring one hand to a breast, he broke from her mouth long enough to pull her dress off with the other hand.

Nuzzling his face into her breasts, Emmett quickly removed her bra. "Did you like watching?"

"Yes, very much."

As he made quick work of her panties, he asked, "Did you want to watch some more?"

"Yeah."

"Want to go to bed?"

"I've done that before." Bella felt her face return to its fiery red configuration as she said, "What I really want is to watch your cock going in and out of me."

Turning her to face the mirror, he grinned. "I can't tell you how much I love that idea."

Taking in her nakedness from the top of her head all the way down to the top of her legs, Bella sighed. She trembled as she looked at Emmett kneeling to her right. His head was at her breast and he had one arm wrapped around her back and taking hold of her left hip. Wanting to touch him, she put her right arm behind him and allowed her hand to skim his shoulder, his back, his neck, his hair. Emmett continued his attention to her body, taking the closest breast into his mouth while his other hand reached across her to alternate between caressing her free breast and rubbing her stomach. There was so much for her to feel, and even more for her to look at; she began to experience a drowning sensation. Needing an anchor, Bella grabbed onto Emmett's arm, which allowed her to feel the movement and power as his hands roved over her skin.

As Bella watched the hand stroking her front, she felt Emmett's other hand move to rub her legs and backside. So focused on the hand she could see, Bella jumped when the hand behind her rotated, allowing Emmett's fingers to slip between her legs and into her.

"Hmmm, you are so turned on. You liked my little show a lot, didn't you, Bella?"

She whimpered in response. _I gave it a perfect score, hot stuff._

"That's okay, you don't have to answer. You've already told me."

Bella moaned repeatedly as she and Emmett gazed into the mirror, watching the juncture of her legs as Emmett's fingers disappeared into her. He used the fingers of his other hand to pull back her flesh so they could watch him touch her clitoris at the same time. Bella pulled his hair to bring his mouth back in range of hers, plunging her tongue deep into his mouth.

His hands fell away as he stood, causing her to cry out.

"I'm not going anywhere, sexy thing." Moving behind her, he took both her hands in his and pulled her forward over the dresser, placing her hands on either side of the mirror mounted to the wall. Running his hands down her arms, he kissed her shoulder and the back of her neck. When his hands reached her shoulders, he brought them down and forward to her breasts as he placed wet kisses down her spine. As his mouth reached the two small indents on her lower back, his hands roamed down her stomach to her knees. Bella felt him rock behind her, and then he stood, his left hand lifting her leg up to the table. Feeling him between her legs, she searched in the mirror until she saw his cock standing proudly. Taking one arm off the wall, she reached down to stroke him. After one pass, Emmett grabbed her hand and placed it back on the wall.

"Damn, woman, do you want this to be over before it starts?"

_Ooohhh, will you paint the mirror next?_

Shaking her head no quickly, Bella moaned as Emmett gripped both her hip and his cock. Catching her eyes in the mirror, he asked, "Ready? 'Cause I'm dying."

Bella nodded her agreement. Feeling the burn of her body stretching as he entered her slowly, Bella slammed her eyes shut and panted as Emmett cursed.

"Shit…sweet Jesus…holy…fucking…hell…"

Suddenly, Bella felt him stop and lean over her back, his hands slamming into the wall next to hers. Sweat poured off of him, soaking her back. "Good god, woman, just how long has it been?"

_Way too fucking long_. Between ragged breaths, she replied, "Two years."

Feeling his head fall to her shoulder, Bella gasped, "You aren't stopping, are you?"

"Fuck, no."

She could feel the burn return as Emmett began to push forward and pull back. She opened her eyes to watch where they were joined, but realized his cock was in the shadows.

"I can't…can't see you. Want to see you."

Emmett's head rose from her shoulder to check the mirror. Realizing the truth of Bella's statement, he leaned back to see if it improved her view. When he saw that it didn't, she could see him glance to either side of them, looking for a solution.

"We've got to move," he announced, withdrawing from her quickly and causing her to nearly collapse to the floor. Grabbing her wrist, he grunted, "Bedroom."

Yanking her behind him down the hall, Bella ran to keep up. Entering his bedroom, he pointed to the side of his bed closest to his mirrored closet doors. "Get on the bed," he commanded as he jerked the lamp off the side table, flicked it on, and placed it on the floor near the head of the bed. Then he prowled around the bed, grabbed the other lamp, and strode back to the other side of the room, plugging it in by the closet doors and placing it near the foot of the bed.

Bella sat precariously on the edge of his bed as he arranged the lights. When he finished, he stalked his way to her, slamming his mouth down on hers and pressing her back onto the mattress. Positioning himself between her legs, he looked over at the mirrored closet doors. "Shit, that won't work."

Bella joined him in looking at the mirrors. Her leg closest to the mirrors was blocking any view she might have had. She lowered it off the bed and onto the floor, but Emmett shook his head and moved downward to kiss the center of her chest.

"No, babe, you want to see it, it has to be on your hands and knees," he declared. "Up and over."

Helping her turn over, he lifted her hips as she scrambled to get her arms set under her. Without any warning, he plunged into her in one smooth stroke.

_Yes, holy hell, this is what I've been missing!_

"God, yes, woman. You feel so good."

Bella tried to flip her hair over so that she could get an unobstructed view of the mirrors, but her long hair refused to cooperate. She balanced on one hand and used the other to rake her hair out of the way but had to put it down immediately so that she could keep her balance. She could see the movement of Emmett's glutes as he completely flexed and pressed into her. Moaning her delight, she dropped her head.

Emmett's pulling back and pressing into her again caused her to raise her head and scream in delight. Feeling his hand catch her hair, she grunted. Pulling her hair, he turned her to face the mirrors. He flexed again. She screamed again.

"Watch me go inside you, Bella. It's so beautiful." And with that, he pushed again. She could see everything: his flexed muscles, his wet cock, and the sweat rolling down his face and chest and dripping onto her back. She could feel herself rushing to an orgasm.

"Yessss," she hissed. After a few more strokes, she moaned, "Harder, please, God, harder."

His hand released her hair and joined his other hand on the curve of her waist. Tightening his grip, he pulled back as far as he could without leaving her, and then slammed her body back onto his cock in long, slow strokes. Within seconds, she came, her arms collapsing and causing her to scream her pleasure into the bedcovers.

"Fucking hell. So beautiful. Just a little more, babe. Watch now." As she turned her face to the mirrors, his hips continued to pump slowly as his hands rubbed up her sweat-soaked back and wrapped around her shoulders.

"Can you see, Bella?"

_I can't MOVE, much less SEE, Mr. Sex-With-A-Stick!_

She grunted, her hair covering half her face. Seeing that, Emmett brushed her hair back and then asked, "Better?"

She grunted again. He lifted her upper body and placed her hands back on the bed. Then he wrapped his hands around her shoulders again.

"Almost there, sexy. Keep looking." She nodded, and then felt his hips snap into her quickly. She let little yelps escape as Emmett raced to his finish. He let out an extremely low groan as he came, and she watched the pleasure on his face as she felt him pulse and release into her. Exhausted and breathing hard, she flopped to the bed, and he followed, landing half on and half off of her.

What could have been minutes or hours later, she heard him huff, "Hottest…sex…ever. "

With a barely-there laugh, she replied, "Surface…of the…sun!"

"Need another shower. You want to join me?"

"Can't…move. Behemoth…on…me."

Pushing up off the mattress, he lightly slapped her backside as he stood. "C'mon, sexy, move it!"

They showered together, gentle kisses and caresses passing between them. As she washed her hair, Emmett left the shower, dressed, and retrieved her clothes and some over-the-counter pain medication. He held out the medicine and a cold glass of water as she left the shower wrapped in towels.

"Two years is a long time. Don't want you to be sore tomorrow."

She thanked him, popping he pills into her mouth and gulping some water to wash them down.

"Although it's a shame to cover up that smokin' body of yours, I know you'll be starving in a little while. Let me help you into your dress and walk you back to your room."

Blinking as she struggled to comprehend Emmett's words, Bella swayed slightly. Emmett grabbed her shoulders and steadied her, then finished drying her off with the towel around her torso. He slipped her dress on over her head and smoothed it into place, putting her bra and panties in the side pockets and retrieving her key. Letting him lead her to the door, Bella watched as he hit a button next to his light switch, then shut off the lights as he opened the door to the hallway.

Wrapping an arm around her, he took them back to her room at a leisurely stroll. As he arrived at her door, he opened it with her key, placed the key on the table just inside the door, and turned to her.

"Thank you for letting me spend time with you this afternoon, Bella. I won't ever forget it."

Bella wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted her head to kiss his chin. "Thank you for letting me watch. I learned a lot."

"My pleasure, sexy thing." Opening her door even wider, he continued. "Try to get a good night's sleep tonight. Your body will need it."

Nodding, she walked through the door. Once inside, she turned to face him.

"I'll do that. Thanks, Emmett."

Smiling, he closed the door.

* * *

><p>Bella received another short note from Carlisle with her room service dinner tray, asking for her thoughts on her experience.<p>

_There are so many thoughts. Where should I begin?_

Finally, turning the card over, Bella wrote down that while she had a difficult time watching Jasper please her, she liked watching Emmett please himself and also liked watching him work for their orgasms. Emmett's confidence, his strength, his openness - all of it turned her on. She also noted that she liked the fact that he listened to what she said she wanted. He delivered on her request, even if it didn't happen the way she expected. Finishing her note, she placed it in the included envelope and returned it to the tray.

After setting the tray in the hallway, she slipped under the covers and into a deep and restful sleep.

* * *

><p><em>AN: "Fake it 'til you make it" is an Americanism that encourages someone to pretend they have (whatever) until they get (whatever) – for example, pretend to have money until you get rich. In Bella's case, it's "pretend to have confidence until you are confident."_


	4. Exhibition

Chapter 4 – **Exhibition**

The next morning, Bella took her sore but satisfied body down to the dining room for breakfast. She wondered if all three women at the ranch ate here or if there were separate dining rooms for each of them. She figured it must be the latter, as she hadn't even passed another woman in the halls the entire time she'd been here. Maybe she'd ask Carlisle the next time she saw him.

_Speak of the devil and he shows up with a sexy little strut…_

"Bella!" Carlisle greeted as he entered the room. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Bella leaned back in her chair and smiled at him. "Not one bit, Carlisle. Have a seat."

After they had made their selections from the limited breakfast menu, Carlisle continued, "I can't stay long; I just wanted to check in with you. How are you doing?"

Bella blushed lightly. "I'm doing well."

"How was your visit with Emmett?"

As she had the last time he questioned her at the table, she grabbed her water glass and began gulping down the contents. When it was half empty, she placed it back down on the table. "Educational."

"And hopefully pleasurable?"

"You know it was. Why do you ask questions you know the answers to?"

Carlisle gave an enigmatic grin. "To see if you know the answers to them as well."

As the server brought out their meals, Bella looked over the plate appreciatively. As she began to enjoy her food, Carlisle, unsurprisingly, turned the conversation to things normal people don't discuss around the breakfast table.

"Bella, would you consider yourself a voyeur or an exhibitionist?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand?"

"Was your enjoyment of your encounter with Emmett a product of watching your physical interaction, or was it a product of having Emmett watch you?"

She quickly replied, "Not the second one."

"Now, Bella, even shy people want to be center stage occasionally. Since you watched during your last interaction, I'd like you to let yourself be seen for this one. Do you think you might enjoy that challenge?"

Bella took a deep breath and shrugged. "Since I have no frame of reference, I really don't know."

"Are you feeling adventurous?"

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "I'm _here_, aren't I?"

Bella was surprised when Carlisle suddenly leaned to one side and retrieved his phone, even though she hadn't heard it sound. Checking the screen, he asked, "Would you please excuse me? I need to reply to this text."

Bella nodded as she ate more of her breakfast. Carlisle quickly typed into the phone, closed it, and then returned to his own meal.

Bella decided to turn Carlisle's penchant for asking difficult questions during mealtimes around. "So, do you have a separate wing for each of your…guests?"

Wiping his mouth, he answered reluctantly, "We do. We also stagger arrival and departure times and limit sightlines between the wings, so that your experience is just that – yours."

"How do you manage to provide the…personal…level of service that you do for three guests at a time? That was what you said, right? Three?"

Carlisle shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "Well, Bella, I hand off the daily management of most repeat visitors to the two other guest interaction specialists. You're our only first-timer at the moment."

Coloring softly, she said, "Well, aren't I lucky?"

With a small smile that caused her insides to melt, he replied, "I believe I'm the one who should be saying that."

A tall man with short, spiky hair somewhere between blond and brown strolled confidently into the dining room from what Bella guessed was the kitchen, dressed in a deep blue shirt with a scooped neckline, white linen pants, and leather sandals. His very presence screamed European sophistication. Carlisle waved him over. "Bella, I'd like you to meet Demetri. Demetri, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Bella."

"Hello, beautiful Bella." Demetri took her hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a light kiss just above her knuckles. Keeping her hand in his, he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down facing her, wrapping his free arm around the back of her chair.

Shocked at his behavior, she gasped out a quick reply. "Hi."

As the server brought Demetri's plate out, Carlisle stood from his empty one. "I'm afraid I'm due in my office for a conference call." Looking at Bella, he continued, "If you'll excuse me, Bella, Demetri."

"Have a good day, Carlisle," Demetri answered. When Carlisle had cleared the room, Demetri turned to Bella and asked, "Did you get a chance to try the locally-grown fruit this morning? It's delicious."

Bella pondered where his slight accent might be from as she shook her head. "No, I didn't. Sorry."

"No need to be sorry, sweet one. Let me get some for you." With that, he turned to his plate, picked up his fork, and speared some of the peach in his dish. He then brought the bite to her mouth, waiting for her to partake of his offering.

Bella began to contemplate the sensuality inherent in the act of eating, and even more, being fed, as she closed her lips around Demetri's fork. She chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. His smoky blue eyes glittered as they focused on her mouth. When she had finished, he leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue swiping lightly over her lips.

"Mmmmm, it's even more delicious when you're added to the mix."

Taking another piece onto his fork, Demetri put it into his own mouth, then put down his fork and shifted his chair so that he was straddling the side of hers. Turning to face him, she could see his jaw working, chewing the cool, sweet, ripe fruit. His left hand brushed her hair behind her shoulder, leaving the side of her neck exposed to him. She took a deep breath as he leaned in, brushing his mouth just behind her ear. She jumped when she felt a long, slow lick take the light sheen of sweat off her skin.

Demetri hummed and breathed hotly into her ear, "The perfect amount of salt to go with the sweet."

Swaying slightly, drunk on the desire racing through her, Bella wondered how she could feel so aroused when he had barely touched her. She decided it didn't matter how it had happened - she just wanted it to continue. Shifting her hips a bit so that she could turn to face him, she grabbed onto his shirt and leaned into him, wanting to feel the juicy kiss she knew was waiting in his mouth. As their lips met, her brain rushed.

_I didn't know a man's lips could be so soft! Is that normal? Oh, God, his mouth is perfect!_

Bella didn't even notice Demetri's right hand massaging her knee until it stopped kneading and began stroking up and down her leg, sliding under her skirt. Her light moaning turned into a full groan as his tongue slipped into her mouth at the same time that his knuckles teased along the center of her panties. Bella's knees opened slightly as she slid down in her chair.

"So sweet, Bella. Are you as juicy as the peach? I bet you are." His fingers pressed against her as his teeth snagged her bottom lip.

_You keep that up, I will be!_

Bella found herself distracted from the incredible kiss when an older gentleman, formally dressed in a suit and pocket square, entered the room slowly. Bella saw him wince as he walked, using a cane for balance as if he had some sort of hip damage. She watched him enter the room, and with the few brain cells she could tear away from Demetri's right hand, she thought the man could be related to Carlisle, as they had the same distinguished, polished air about them. He seemed to her like a man who may have looked a bit awkward when he was younger, due to his strong features, but was just now at an age where they made him look handsome and gave him a sense of dignity and gravitas. Despite his difficulty walking and the flecks of silver in his hair, he radiated a confidence and power that drew her interest even as Demetri's caresses continued to arouse her.

Demetri called out, "Good morning, Marcus! You're getting a late start this morning."

Bella braced as the man turned to face their table_. Oh hell, he's going to see everything. He's going to know what's going on._

"Demetri, good to see you."

_Oh god, his voice was like…Italian sex. Personified._

"How was breakfast this morning?"

Bella felt exposed, like she did the one time her dad caught her leaving the bathroom in a towel after a shower.

_Maybe if I hold still he won't know exactly where Demetri's hand is right this second._

"Well, as you can see, Marcus, Bella and I are still enjoying our meal." Demetri's hand moved from stroking the center of her panties to dip inside the material, his knuckles stroking her clit as he breezily carried on his conversation.

Bella bit back a moan. She didn't want to reprimand Demetri and draw Marcus's attention to the fact that Demetri was pleasuring her at the same time he was talking to him. Trying to keep a semblance of normalcy to their interaction, she followed the conversation with her eyes.

_Nothing going on here. Just paying attention to a conversation between friends…_

"Why don't you join us while we finish our meal, Marcus?" Demetri offered.

Marcus raised his dark eyebrows and turned to Bella. As Demetri's hand began to move again, Marcus asked, "Would you mind terribly if I joined you?"

Bella knew she couldn't answer without possibly seeming crazed, as the seated man's fingers continued their dance between satin and skin. Her face blazed and she was having trouble breathing normally.

"I apologize if I'm embarrassing you, Bella. Without going into detail, I am unable to participate in…amorous activities without a great deal of pain. I've not seen the face of a woman in the throes of passion for…well, too long." Bella noticed Marcus wince before he continued. "We all know what Demetri is doing to you right now; you would honor me greatly if you allowed me to once again watch a beautiful young woman being pleasured."

Bella tried to think as Demetri moved one of his hands from resting along the back of her chair to running up her back and into her hair, massaging her scalp. He huskily begged her, "Please don't make me stop…."

_Oh God, am I going to go through with this? Let one man WATCH while another pleases me?_

Bella felt lethargic warmth sliding along her skin. In addition to the pleasure Demetri was working to give her, she could be the sole focus of this handsome, sophisticated older man. He wanted to watch her. Bella Swan. Having an orgasm. She could let him watch. She would let him watch.

Locking her eyes on Marcus's nearly black ones, she replied, "Please sit."

As Marcus struggled with the chair, Bella lifted her face and allowed her eyes to close to preserve Marcus' inherent dignity. He had already bared enough of himself to her. Demetri took the opportunity to scrape up and down the side of her neck with his teeth, lighting her on fire. As his fingers continued to move and tempt her into abandon, Bella's breath started to hitch.

"May I ask you a question, dear girl?" Marcus requested. Bella moaned an incoherent response. "Does our friend have talented fingers? I must confess I was quite proud of the passion I was able to evoke with mine."

Bella opened her eyes and lowered her face, meeting Marcus's gaze in confusion. She took a moment to steady herself, then replied, "I suppose so, yes."

Demetri growled, "You _suppose_ so?" Removing his fingers from her and taking her hand, he pulled her up from her chair, which made a horrible sound as it scraped on the wood floor. He quickly ran his hands up her skirt, grabbed the sides of her panties, and dragged them quickly down her legs, leaving them to form infinity around her ankles as he pulled her back down into her chair. Arranging her knees farther apart than they had been previously, he returned his dexterous digits to their delightful task. It only took him seconds to progress from skimming along the surface as he had been to introducing his fingers inside of her.

Bella's shocked gaze turned from Demetri's intense stare back to Marcus' eyes to see if he noticed that things had changed, that Demetri's fingers were now inside her body. For lack of a better location to put them, Bella's hands gripped the sides of her chair so hard her knuckles were white.

"Demetri," Marcus scolded, his elbow resting on the table as he leaned forward, "you have completely neglected the amazing décolletage I see before me. Please remedy that."

Demetri took direction well, scooting his chair as close as possible and moving his mouth from its feast at her neck to a location directly between her breasts. She could feel teeth scrape the buttons of her shirt.

_Oh, Lord in heaven, is he undressing me with his MOUTH?_

Needing to touch him, Bella brought her right hand from the side of the chair up to Demetri's outside shoulder and gripped it tightly. She could feel his breath brush against her breasts as his fingers started to pump in earnest. As his mouth travelled up her neck and back to her ear, her hand moved up from his shoulder to wrap around the nape of his neck. She could hear the intensity in his voice as he said, "You feel so good on my fingers."

_Oh, holy shit. His hands were just FULL of magic. And his mouth was spectacular!_

Bella thought she would be able to hold on to Demetri's neck and her skyrocketing arousal for a while longer. Then Marcus decided to engage her in what seemed to be the ranch's standard not-quite-appropriate-for-the-breakfast-table discussion.

"Does it excite you that someone might come in from the kitchen and smell how aroused you are? Or hear the symphony Demetri is playing on your body?"

Only then did Bella notice that Demetri's fingers were making a rather loud sound as they pushed and pulled. "Not…not really."

Bella could feel herself sliding down in her chair even more to give Demetri better access. He quietly groaned, "I love licking your neck; you taste like sex and sin." His heat burned her side as he continued to stroke her, driving her even higher. She shivered as his tongue laved down her neck to the top of her shoulder. She had to remove her hand from his neck and return it to the chair to support her sinking body.

"Your breathing, it's changed," Marcus noted. "Did-" Clearing his throat, he continued, "Did Demetri find a pleasing spot?"

Keeping hold of Marcus' eyes, Bella haltingly answered. "Yes, Marcus, he found an amazing spot."

"Well, do that again, man, quickly," Marcus bit out. Bella gloried in the power in Marcus's voice, his sense that his every command would be followed without question.

Demetri again followed directions, repeating the pleasurable licking and hand movements. Turning his face away from Marcus and placing his cheek against hers, he whispered, "How sweet you are, dear Bella, for letting Marcus fantasize that he's pleasing you."

_Fucking hell. Marcus is fantasizing about me. He's fantasizing about pleasing me!_

Marcus immediately noticed her breathing deepen and her skin turn to fire. "Sweet Bella, do you realize how beautiful that blush is? How far down does it go?"

Speechless with her heightened arousal, she shrugged in response. Marcus slowly extracted a phone from his hip coat pocket, and gave the command, "Call Jasper." Bella semi-coherently listened to Marcus's part of the conversation. "Jasper. I'm in the dining room with the beautiful Bella. Yes. How far down does this blush go? You don't know?" Marcus closed his eyes and licked his lips. "Ahh, yes, otherwise occupied. Well, would you like to see it now?"

Bella's eyes bulged. _We're having a call-your-friends party? 'Cause I might just have to call Carlisle…and Emmett…._

"Five minutes? Sooner. Good." Marcus pocketed the phone, and moved his eyes off Bella to address Demetri. "Delay."

"What?" Bella gasped and glared at Marcus as Demetri slowed his hand movements. "No. No. What are you…you can't say things like that. No 'delay'!" Turning to face Demetri for the first time since Marcus arrived, Bella pleaded, "You can't…you can't stop, okay?" Closing her eyes, she continued, "Please don't stop."

Demetri shushed her gently. While his fingers continued to stroke inside of her, he moved his thumb to her clit and began circling it slowly. "Oh, sweet, sweet girl, don't worry. I promise I will take care of you," Demetri said soothingly. "It's going to be so beautiful, and we will all get to see it."

Bella opened her eyes at his words and realized that Jasper was now seated next to Marcus. Marcus began a grand inquisition. "Jasper, you've pleased this beautiful woman?"

Jasper ducked his head. "I made every attempt to."

Marcus scoffed. "Don't be coy. Did she enjoy you?"

"Yes."

"Did she become even more beautiful?"

"I couldn't see at the exact moment, Marcus, but afterward? Absolutely." At this, Bella had to close her eyes against Jasper's intense gaze.

"What did you notice, then?"

"Her legs began to shake, just like you see her arms doing now. I would say she's very close."

Marcus turned his questions back to her. "Bellissima Bella. So beautiful. Are you close?"

Bella, unable to hold her head upright, leaned heavily against Demetri and dug her head into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. The symphony he was conducting on her body increased in tempo. Her breath came in a near-groan. "God, yesssssss…."

Bella's eyes opened, and she realized that the two men across the table could not tear their eyes from her. As she felt her shaking increase, their eyes zeroed in on hers in order to drink in the sight of her impending orgasm. "Wondrous," Marcus croaked. Bella realized she had both men across the table from her hanging on her every reaction, just waiting for her to be pushed over the edge.

Demetri pulled his face away from her cheek and moved his mouth back to her ear. "Dear Bella. You realize this is the hardest my cock has ever been, don't you?"

Unable to wrap her head around all the testosterone enveloping her, Bella tore her eyes from Marcus and flitted them down to see if Demetri was telling the truth. It seemed he was. She could feel her hand closest to the bulging mass flex, as if having a mind to go exploring with or without her permission.

Thinking of touching him caused the fire that had been building in her belly to flash and consume her. As Demetri changed his hand movement yet again, Bella clutched at his leg and tried to maintain eye contact with Marcus as she shook with the force of her orgasm.

"There it is, Marcus." Jasper whispered in awe.

"Yes, I see. Outstanding."

Satiated, Bella slumped back in her chair. She took in Marcus and Jasper, both looking at her with fiery eyes. Then she felt Demetri remove his hand from her, and moaned in appreciation as she watched him bring his fingers to his mouth and lick her pleasure off them, his eyes locked onto hers.

"If I may, Demetri?" Marcus shook the square of cloth from his breast pocket in their peripheral vision. "To assist the lady, please."

Demetri nodded, took the cloth from Marcus, and used it to soak up the moisture she'd released during his ministrations. Afterward, he folded the cloth neatly and passed it back across the table. Marcus replaced it in his breast pocket, stroking the cloth as if it were her skin. "My absolute thanks, Bella. I have so rarely been blessed to receive such a beautiful gift."

With that, Marcus began to extract himself from his seat at the table. Jasper hurriedly stood to assist him. As Marcus retrieved his cane and took Jasper's arm to leave, Jasper caught Bella's eyes. Looking to Demetri, he advised, "Kiss her. She wants to taste it."

The thought of tasting herself in Demetri's perfect mouth nearly caused Bella to come again. Nodding to Jasper, she turned to Demetri and tasted his soft, sweet mouth mixed with her own orgasm. She could feel Demetri shift, and she pushed him away just enough to swing her legs around so that she could face him full on. As she took large handfuls of his shirt, his hands smoothed along her neck and into her hair as he pulled her to him for another deep, wet kiss.

"Bella, I don't think I'll be able to look at breakfast the same way ever again."

Bella huffed her agreement.

_Lots better than Eggs Benedict, if I do say so myself._

Noticing Demetri shift and wince, her eyes flew to the apex of his thighs. She let loose of his shirt with one hand and ran her fingers down his stomach to his belt. "I'd like to return the favor." Then with both hands, she began undoing his buckle.

Demetri leaned back in his seat, resting one hand on the table and the other on the back of her chair. Breathing heavily, he replied, "I couldn't fight you off if I wanted to, and I don't want to."

Bella looked up at him and gave a half-smile, then returned her focus to his pants as she undid the leather belt and unfastened the closure. As his cock leaped free, she was surprised to discover he wore nothing underneath.

_White linen pants, no underwear. Someone likes to show off! _

Looking at his cock, however, Bella had to admit he had something worth displaying. She pushed his shirt up so that she could get a better look, and he assisted her by removing it altogether and placing it next to his plate on the table. Thinking on her lesson with Emmett, she closed her hand around Demetri's cock and made a slow, light stroke. Then she frantically looked around the table, trying to assess which items left on it could work for this situation.

"Damn it, need something slick…"

Demetri made a sound halfway between a chuckle and a groan. "Give me your hand, dear girl."

Holding her hand, he used the other to reach into his pocket, extracting a small foil package. Opening it with his teeth, he spit the small torn piece out and squirted the remaining fluid in the tube onto her palm.

"Individually packaged lubrication. Useful things."

Bella raised her eyebrows and nodded her understanding, gently using her slickened hand to grasp him tightly. His hands returned to their previous locations, grabbing the corner of the table and chair, respectively. Deciding she couldn't grip tightly enough with one hand, she brought her other hand to make a full circle around him. Demetri immediately went from humming softly in appreciation to groaning loudly in pleasure.

Bella changed her grip so that her fingers interlaced and her thumbs ran up the underside of his cock, sliding her hands around so that she could stroke up each pulsing, protruding vein. As she had watched Emmett do, she occasionally ran the palm of one hand over the top of Demetri's cock, causing his hips to buck up into the sensation.

_Holy shit, I think I'm giving a fucking awesome hand job!_

After a few minutes of her attentions, Demetri began to speak emphatically in a language she didn't understand. He didn't seem upset, so she kept on, until she was able to make out the phrase, "Oh, God, now now now…."

Freeing one hand, Bella grabbed his unused table napkin from beside his plate, shook it out, and dropped it over his cock just as his body clenched down in release. Bella reveled in the pleasure that flashed across his face, causing his eyes to half-close and his mouth to half-open. Making a few more light strokes with her hands, she beamed as his groans increased in volume.

"God, woman, enough! Are you trying to drown me in satisfaction?"

Chuckling, she used the napkin to block his release from getting onto her hands. After cleaning him as well as she could with the one in her hands, she stood to retrieve an unused napkin from the other side of the table and wiped the lubricant off her hands as best she could.

She strolled around the table and returned to Demetri as he lifted his hips and hitched his pants back into place. Before he could refasten them, Bella put her hands under his chin and lifted his face to hers for a small round of light kisses. Standing again, Bella said, "Demetri, dear man, I absolutely KNOW I'll never look at breakfast the same way again."

Bella leaned down to retrieve the underwear that had fallen off her legs at some point in the encounter, wadded them up, and tucked them into one of his front pockets. "You remember me, now." And with that, she stood up, turned and sauntered out of the room.


	5. Swan Song

Chapter 5 – **Swan Song**

As she left the dining room, Bella strode down the long hallway and decided to find Carlisle immediately so that she could discuss what had happened with Demetri…and Marcus…and Jasper.

_What the hell just happened? Oh yeah, three men just watched me get off!_

Rounding the corner into the library, Bella saw Carlisle sitting at the desk he'd pressed her against when she first arrived. While he finished up a phone call, her eyes flicked across the shelves, taking in all of the sexually-laden material currently within arm's reach. Unable to stand still, she moved from one side of desk to the other and back, wound up on the adrenaline of her encounter.

Carlisle brought his call to a close. "Thomas, I'm going to have to call you back." Smiling, he said, "Yes, of course. Talk to you soon." Snapping his cell phone closed, he turned to Bella. "How can I help you, Bella?"

"You know, I get it now, why you all do this." The words flew from her as she buzzed about the room. "It's powerful; it's a sort of power, knowing – I mean, really knowing – you've pleased someone. I wanted to react more, let more out, so they could enjoy it! Is that weird? It's not, is it? Oh, you don't think anything is weird, I'm sure, but it's new to me! I'm so wound up I feel like I could go for days!"

"Did you have a pleasant experience with Demetri?"

Her hands threaded through her hair, and flung about seemingly on their own. "You know damn well it wasn't just Demetri." Turning to face Carlisle directly, she continued. "Why didn't I know it was like this before? I mean, I've had sex before, and the guys must've thought I looked okay, but I never wanted to let them look at me the way Marcus did…just look! And it was SO intense! Do you think it was because he was older, that I could feel the hold I had on a man, and not a boy?"

Surprise flitted across Carlisle's face. "Marcus joined you in the dining room?"

Bella started to pace again, her feet keeping up with the speed of her brain. "Yes, you know that he did, and Jasper too. Is Marcus related to you? 'Cause he's got that same sexy vibe you're rocking. He doesn't look much like you features-wise, but you've both got the same…gosh, I don't know what it is? What's that French phrase? _Je ne sais quoi_?" Nodding to herself, she continued. "Why do you think was I more interested in his reaction than Demetri's? Demetri was the one who was touching me, making me come – I feel like I may have been a bit disrespectful of him. But I think I made up for it with the really good handjob."

Carlisle's eyebrows shot up. "A really good one?"

Bella continued as if he hadn't responded. "Do you know, I've done that before, handjobs - blowjobs, too - and the guys kinda moaned like they liked it, but I always got the feeling that they were just putting up with it until they could get to the main event." She stopped to be sure that she had Carlisle's attention as she said, "Demetri was so appreciative; it wasn't like he was just waiting until he could get to the 'real' sex, but made it seem like what I did for him was what he wanted; he didn't seem pissed at all…"

Bella returned to pacing, but at a much slower clip. After crossing the room a few times, she settled with her hands along the back of a leather chair.

"You know, I don't even know if I could have had sex with him in that chair. I've only ever done it in two different positions. I get the feeling I'm missing out on stuff now! I mean, I could have straddled him on that chair, I guess…I just wouldn't have known what to do from there. I should know something like that, right? I mean, I'm twenty-six years old, for God's sake; shouldn't I have had more interesting sex than that?"

Carlisle decided to hold his own counsel for the moment.

"Well, don't you think so?" she challenged.

"Bella, perhaps you weren't ready to explore that part of yourself before now. There's nothing to be ashamed of. This is the place to take the opportunity to expand your horizons in any direction you wish. There are several things you've just mentioned that we could help you address.

She flushed slightly. "Sorry about just rambling on there."

"I'm a believer in not having regrets, Bella. I think everything you said was important for you to bring out into the open so that you could take a good look at it." Leaning back in his chair, he steepled his fingers and tapped them lightly against his lips. "I think you should focus on experiencing some new positions next. What do you think?"

Bella's eyebrows rose. "I guess that would be okay."

"I have someone at the ranch with a very spiritual connection to his sexuality. I believe the two of you could be of great benefit to one another."

"He's a religious guy?"

"Not in the way you're thinking, Bella. It's more that he wants to feel a deep connection to the women he's with. I think you would truly enjoy him. You would certainly benefit from his breadth of interest."

Taking a deep breath, Bella nodded. "Okay, then."

"He went into town this morning, but if you would like, I could arrange something this afternoon – maybe after you enjoy some time at the spa? It's available now, if you like."

"That actually sounds really nice."

"Wonderful. I'll get things arranged and see you after lunch."

* * *

><p>Bella's hand shielded her eyes from the late afternoon sun as she found herself riding with Carlisle in what she thought had to be a terrible attempt at creating something between a car and a golf cart. They were headed away from the ranch, toward the base of the mountains to the north.<p>

"Why is this guy so far away from everyone else?"

"He values a great deal of solitude so that he has a significant amount of time to focus on his spirituality."

"Are you sure this guy's not a monk?"

Carlisle smirked. "I'm pretty sure." They pulled up to a single-story building with more windows than she'd ever seen in a building that small.

After helping her out of the car, Carlisle approached the door, knocked softly, and entered the room quietly, motioning for her to follow. A set of life-sized photos hung directly in front of her and acted as a screen, blocking the rest of the room from her view. The photos were of ancient-looking statues in a variety of extremely complicated sexual poses. As Carlisle moved out of sight around the screens, she stopped and studied one of a man standing, holding a woman around her hips in an upside-down position, his mouth pleasing her and hers pleasing him.

_Standing 69. Impressive. Impossible, but impressive. _

Bella heard a shuffle behind the screen then. Taking in a deep breath of warm air, she slowly moved to peer around the corner. Sunlight streamed through the windows that spanned the entire south wall of the small house.

A giant of a man with short dark hair and an obvious affinity for the sun sat along the far wall, placing incense and garlands of flowers before a statue situated on a raised dais. After he finished placing the items, he fully prostrated himself on a rug on the floor and repeated several times a phrase that Bella didn't understand.

_Sure, this guy acts NOTHING like a monk._

Bella's body started to tingle as she took in how extremely tall and extremely muscular the man was. Bella figured he must be done with whatever he was doing when he lifted himself from the floor and returned to a seated position. After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the man used his arms to raise himself up and turn his entire body to face them.

"Carlisle." His rich, deep voice wrapped around her, playing havoc with her senses.

"Felix. It's good to see you."

"You, too. And this must be Bella. Please, take your shoes off and then come, sit with me."

Bella looked at Carlisle, who nodded his encouragement and turned to leave. Bella tentatively approached the giant, and as she did, he rotated his body so that it faced his shrine again. As she reached his edge of the rug, he patted the space next to him. She joined him on the floor, crossing her legs in an approximation of his lotus pose.

Without looking at her, he began to speak.

"I've never felt bad about sex. Never. Never understood why the Christian ministers I was exposed to when I was young said I should feel guilty or wrong for having it. I always enjoyed sex, always felt so energized afterward, like I could see more clearly, understand more of myself and of the universe. So I sought a different spiritual path than the one I was raised with."

Bella turned to look at Felix. She could see his intensity reflected all over his face.

"I found a teacher who stated that each one of us is a union of all universal energy. Everything that we need in order to be complete is within us right at this very moment. It is simply a matter of being able to recognize it. I really connected to that idea."

Indicating his altar with a nod of his head, he continued. "That's when I discovered there were other religions which understood the beauty of sexuality the way that I did - that rejection of it separated you from godliness, and acceptance brought you closer to it."

"I found a text that stated sex had three distinct and separate purposes—procreation, pleasure, and liberation. It said that my enjoyment of sex was not wrong, or bad, it just was. I found other texts that taught that a woman was like the earth – the earth creates and woman creates, and that both were worthy of a man's gratitude and worship." Felix took another deep breath and then plowed ahead.

"Are you willing to let me worship you, Bella?"

Bella looked at him and blanched. "Worship seems like the extremely wrong word…"

"It's not, Bella." Felix turned to her then, allowing his eyes to pierce into her. "I want to worship your body, your soul. I want to join my body to yours and use our combined energies to seek the divine. Will you let me share that with you?"

Closing her eyes so she could focus, Bella could feel the electricity, the desire pouring from Felix and humming all around her, sending heat racing through her body. Gulping, she agreed. "O…okay."

Felix turned his body to fully face her, scooting forward and pressing into her side. She could feel every inch of his leg where it contacted hers. Rubbing her back with one hand, the other began drawing small patterns on her bent knee. "Carlisle said you've only been in two positions. Is that true?"

Furiously blushing, Bella nodded. As Felix continued to tease her skin, flickers of desire joined her embarrassment.

"I would guess you've experienced what is commonly known as missionary position and the atrociously-named doggie style."

Feeling her face heat even more as desire started to flood her entire body, she nodded again. "Yes, those two."

"Do you have an idea of other positions you'd like to try?"

"No," Bella answered quickly, shaking her head. "No."

Stumped by her lack of answer, Felix thought for a moment. "Let me ask you this. If you could only touch one part of me, what would you want to explore?"

Mouth dry, Bella took a moment to lick her lips before answering, "Your thighs."

"For me, it would be your hair. May I take it out of that thing you have it all bound up in, so that I can take in its beauty? And while I'm doing that, you can let your hands roam wherever they'd like."

Giving a tight nod, Bella agreed to his proposition. Felix moved away just enough to untangle his legs. As he moved closer again, he wrapped one behind her back, and bent the other leg over her lap. As he took her hair out of its high ponytail, Bella ran her slightly damp hands lightly over the top of his thighs, stroking from his knee up to where the broadest muscles stretched across his leg. As he ran his fingers all through her hair, massaging her scalp, Bella let her hands find the edges of that large muscle where it joined to the rest of his leg, and was just starting to move higher when he bent to whisper in her ear, "Do you know what 'namaste' means, Bella?"

She shook her head.

"_Namas_ is a Sanskrit word indicating obeisance, reverential greeting, adoration. Modern interpretations use the phrasing 'the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you,' but I prefer to think of it as, 'All that is within in me greets you in adoration.' Namaste, Bella."

Bella tilted in toward Felix, stretching upward to place a light kiss on his jaw. She then took a minute to look into in his eyes, to take him in, also to fully take in the moment and what she was about to say. "Namaste, Felix."

Hugging her tightly against him, Felix leaned down to kiss her slowly and deeply. Groaning, he threaded his hands through her hair. Bella felt it swishing all around her as his hands tilted her head so that he could have better access to her mouth. Felix then ran his fingers through the length of her tresses, draping them across her breasts and brushing the backs of his fingers across her nipples. Each contact sent shockwaves through her, and she could feel her breathing begin to change and deepen.

"You have such beautiful hair, Bella."

"Thanks. There's so much of it, I just don't know what to do with it half the time."

"You should leave it down – let others see the beauty you possess."

As one of his hands left her hair, Bella caught it in both of hers and brought it in front of her so that she could inspect it. She measured her hands against his – both of hers nearly equaled one of his. Threading her fingers through his, she tried to squeeze his hands, but only ended up making her own hands ache from the effort.

"It's hard for me to believe how big your hands are. How tall are you?"

"I'm six foot seven."

"Do you hate it?"

"No. I don't hate anything about me. I hate that everything I find is made for smaller men."

Bella wrapped her hands around his fingers and kissed his wrist.

"Poor Felix. Caught in a small man's world."

Looking into his eyes, she brought his thumb into her mouth and sucked it, then ran her tongue along the pad of it. Bella silently cheered as she heard him grunt and felt his cock jump against her side in response to her surprise actions.

Groaning, Felix stroked his hands up under her shirt and undid the hooks on her bra. Then he swept his hands up, and both pieces of clothing slid off her and onto the floor. With his hands cradling her head, he gently lowered her to the thick rug.

Stroking his hands down her arms as he kneeled over her waist, Felix complimented, "Your skin is so soft." Reaching the bottom of her arms, he reversed course and brushed his hands up to her collarbone, down the center of her chest, across her belly, and down to the button on her pants. After opening the closure, he moved to her side and whispered, "Lift," then slid the rest of her clothes off her body. Lying naked before him, she watched as his eyes roamed over her.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she declared, "Your turn. Lie down." After Felix complied, she returned the favor he had paid her, running her hands over his skin as she began divesting him of his clothes. After Bella had removed his shirt, Felix passively lay on the floor as she let her hands explore the corded muscles of his upper arms, the smooth planes of his chest, the knotted ropes of his stomach. He began to react when Bella pulled the drawstring on his cotton pants and pulled down the two sides as far she could while leaving his cock covered, taking quite a bit of time to really investigate his hipbones and the sharply defined muscles there. After a minute or so, Felix shoved his pants down far enough so that his cock could have more room to move in response to her teasing. She grinned up at Felix as she appeared to completely ignore the part of him that wanted the most attention. Slyly, she moved in such a manner that her hair teased along his cock as she explored him. His responding deep groans filled her with a sense of power.

_Bet you REALLY like my hair now, big guy!_

Pulling his pants off his legs gave her access to the muscles of his thighs, which she kneaded in fascination at the power contained within them. Running her hands down his legs to his ankles, she grinned as he flinched away from her tickling hands.

Felix responded by sitting up, wrapping his hands around her waist, and pulling her into his lap with his legs crossed under her. Her legs and arms wrapped around him, holding on to him for balance. Moving his giant hands to cradle her face, his lips drank from hers again. Her fingers lightly stroked his arms from wrist to elbow. She moaned as she felt the heat of his cock against her stomach, wetness dragging across it as his body primed itself. She felt a similar response in her own body.

Bella explored the parts of Felix in reach of her mouth, placing little kisses up and down his chin, his throat, his Adam's apple, the hollow at the base of his throat, the top of his chest. His hands worked their way down her body, from her back to her the underside of her thighs, then his thumbs drew little patterns on the inside of her thighs as his hands moved higher up her legs. One thumb continued higher, going to her clit, while the other hand moved under her leg, his fingers stroking through the moisture there, and dipping inside her. She pulled at his shoulders and bucked against him, trapping his thumb between her clit and the base of his cock.

"Oh, God, please Felix, please!"

She could feel the change in intent in his hands as he gripped around her thighs, lifting her up to his mouth for another kiss. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she panted as he slowly dragged her away from his mouth, down his chest, and onto his cock. She groaned and threw her head back as every inch of him slid into her. Clinging to him, her arms and legs gripped him tightly; she was continuously shuddering by the time her hips landed flush with his.

"So inspiring, Bella." Felix's hands wrapped around her back and over her shoulders. "Can you feel our energies merging together?"

_I can feel something else that's merged together…_

Bella gasped as Felix began rocking his hips backward and forward – not much movement, just enough to electrify every nerve ending in her body. She felt as if she could feel every bump on his tongue as he ran it along her shoulder, up her neck, and focused his attention on the soft vulnerable spot just behind her jaw and below her ear. Leaning her back a bit in his arms, his hips quickened, and Bella yelled in ecstasy as she felt an unexpected lightning bolt of pleasure shoot through her.

Pulling her back into the haven of his arms, Felix stroked her hair, soothing her and helping her work through the aftershocks of her sudden orgasm. Kissing the top of her head, he whispered, "So beautiful, Bella. Perfect."

After her wits returned to her, Bella felt him still hard as a rock inside her, and in a daze asked, "Didn't you get there?"

Felix laughed softly, sending delicious zings of pleasure through her. "In what universe does thirty minutes equal a worship service? Every church I've been to lasts for at least an hour, Bella, maybe even two or three."

_Holy shit, he's built like that and can last for hours? He's the perfect man!_

Into his chest, she mumbled, "I really like your idea of church."

Felix laughed again. "I think I could have quite the following. But now, it's your turn, Bella."

She lifted eyes to look at him blearily.

"Sit back." Taking her arms from around his waist, he placed them behind her on his thighs. Then, he unwound her feet from around his waist and placed them to the side of his hips. "Now, keep your arms that way and push up through your feet."

As she lifted up, Bella sucked in a deep breath of pleasure.

"Again."

When she moved this time, Felix groaned deeply, reclining back until he was lying on the floor and looking up at her as she maneuvered herself on him. His hands moved under her thighs to help her lift on and off of him slowly. Just as Bella felt another orgasm building, Felix stopped her, moving one of her feet to the other side of his body, so that both feet rested by his left hip.

"Do you know why I like this position, Bella?" Felix asked as he smoothed the skin at her waist.

She shook her head.

"It allows me to take in all of your beauty at once. I can see your hair falling over your shoulders, the curve of your mouth, your breasts, your waist, your hips; all without being distracted by seeing where we are connected. It shows you as you should be – sexually charged and full of grace."

She looked down at her body. "I don't think anyone has ever called me graceful before."

Ignoring her comment, Felix asked, "Do you know what this position is called?"

"I can't say that I do."

As his hands gripped her tightly and began moving her on him, he replied, "It's called 'The Swan,' Bella. It was made for you." With that, he began to really move, lifting his hips so that he could press himself farther into her. At the same time, one of his hands moved behind her knees and began pulling her more forcefully onto him as he flexed. It was this small but powerful movement, combined with Felix's intense stare, that sent her screaming to the edge again.

"Oh, it's so…I can't…so good…"

As her arms collapsed from the strength of her orgasm, Felix sat up and drew her into his arms. "It's all right, Bella, I've got you." As she melted into the warmth of his body, he continued. "Let's relax a minute."

Felix moved her to the rug so skillfully that he was able to stay connected to her, her back pressed to his chest and her head resting on the arm underneath it. He kept her warm by running his free hand up and down her skin, dissipating the light sheen of sweat that had gathered there. Bella felt like a kitten warmed in the sun, and soon she stretched, causing both of them to gasp in delight.

"Bella…so good…"

Bella grinned at hearing Felix's moans of pleasure. She felt powerful, womanly.

He lifted off the floor a little so that he could look into her eyes. "I want to feel your beautiful hair making feather-light brushes on my chest as you ride me, Bella. Could I interest you in something like that?"

Bella felt her entire body light up at his request. Wondering at the power her hair seemed to wield over him, she returned his fiery gaze. "Show me," she replied.

Leaning down to press hot kisses along her neck, he replied, "Gladly." Then he scooped his arm under her body, pressing her tightly to him and rotating them both to a seated position. Leaning back on his arms, he said, "put your feet on my thighs." She placed her hands under her and on his hips for balance, then she followed Felix's directions and put her feet on his thighs, taking time to try out several locations, feeling the powerful cording of his muscles underneath her feet. When she felt secure, she nodded.

"Now we'll try 'Swan Sport'. Push with your feet. Move your hips."

As she tried to move on him, Bella realized she needed to move her hands for more support, so she walked her hands backward, ending up using his ribs to brace her arms as she moved her hips side to side. Her head fell back as she absorbed the pleasure each miniscule movement of her body on his brought her. "That's…wow… deep…"

She could feel Felix fall away from her back, and she realized he was now fully reclined on the floor. Knowing what he wanted, she let her head fall back as far as it could go, flicking her head side to side, and letting her hair sweep over him.

"Can you feel the energy we're creating, Bella? You set me on fire."

Bella's unfamiliarity with the movements she needed to use made her lift too high, causing his cock to leave her body and stand proudly on display, wet with her pleasure. Bella turned and lifted herself up and straddled Felix's stomach so that she could kiss him, letting her hair enclose them. His hands went to her sides, his thumbs rubbing circles on her breasts. She could feel herself move against him, her body telling both of them she wanted more from him.

"You've been so gentle, Felix." She said through heavy breaths. "But now I really want to feel your power."

Humming at the thought, he replied, "Anything you want, my goddess."

Felix turned her then, laying her on the floor, and let her feel the full weight of his body settle over her. Then he knelt up, using one hand to brace himself on the floor and one hand to lift her hips so that he could enter her easily. Her hands roamed up his sides and found themselves locked behind his neck as she watched him work himself into her.

"Yes, like that…more power, Felix…let me really feel you…"

"If you want more, you have to hold tight," Felix ground out. She felt his breaths wash over her, felt the effort he was expending to please her. As her fingers interlaced behind his head, he cautioned, "Don't let go." Bella nodded in response.

Bella watched as Felix shifted upward and felt him manipulate his arms under her knees, his hands holding her from the bottom of her backside to halfway up her back. His kneeling up caused Bella's knees to fall over his elbows. Yelping in surprise as Felix's hips began to move slowly, Bella looked down and realized she could see every movement he made – every stroke, every rotation.

"Oh, shit…yeah…"

Wanting him to go faster, Bella pulled on his neck and bucked into him. "More, Felix, need more…" she pleaded.

Growling, he rocked backward sharply, and Bella felt herself being lifted higher into the air as he stood up. The new position caused Bella to re-adjust her grip on Felix's neck, and she had difficulty regaining it due to the sweat pouring off of him.

Drawing deep gulps of air, Felix began working her body up and down his cock quickly. Bella could feel the energy crackling between them, could see that Felix was near the end of his endurance. As his hips frantically snapped into hers, she moaned, "Won't…last…long…."

Bella chased her orgasm, knowing it was coming to her. She relaxed her tight hold around Felix's neck, tilted her hips so that his cock rubbed her _right there_, and yelled out, her body twisting in pleasure as she fell over the edge.

She felt more than heard Felix roar in response as he came, felt his warmth spread inside her. She felt his massive body quake from the power of his orgasm, causing him to overbalance and drop back to his knees.

Catching himself with one arm, he lowered her to the floor gently, removed himself from inside her body, and lay down between her legs, his head resting on her chest. While she gasped for air, she felt his heart pounding in his chest through the soft, thin skin of her inner thigh. Running her hands through his sweat-soaked hair, Bella hummed her pleasure as aftershocks ripped through them both.

After what could have been minutes or hours, Bella heard Felix whisper, "Namaste, Bella," but couldn't focus enough to form complete thoughts, much less words.

Still unaware of how much time was passing, Bella noticed when stickiness began to betray her comfort. Pushing at Felix's shoulder, she mumbled, "Need up…"

With another deep breath, Felix rose, lifting her to his chest and walking her over to a door she hadn't noticed before. Setting her down, he bent over, threaded his hands through her hair and kissed her deeply. "Take your time; take a shower if you want. I'll make us something to eat," he said softly and turned away from her. She enjoyed watching him walk away from her until he disappeared through another doorway, then turned to go inside.

* * *

><p>Leaving Felix's bathroom half an hour later, feeling clean and shiny in a fluffy cotton robe, Bella padded around until she found Felix sprawled along a couch, staring out at the darkening sky through a large skylight. To Bella, it seemed as if he was contemplating his oneness with the universe as he surveyed it. An antipasto tray rested on a low table near where he relaxed, and she made her way over to it, sinking into the remaining chair in the room and piling a small plate with food. She sat back, taking in Felix as he rested, naked and calm, and allowed herself to quietly contemplate him as she ate.<p>

When she sat her empty plate on the table, he looked over at her. "My mind is racing; I feel like I can follow all these different trains of thought at the same time. How do you feel?"

Bella tilted her head to the side. "Changed."

That made him smile. "Good." After a pause and a deep breath, he said, "Carlisle left the car; I should drive you back to the ranch."

"I can find it – just head down the hill toward the only lights around, I'm guessing. I just need my clothes."

"I folded them for you; let me go get them."

Bella followed him to a shelf near the front door with a canvas bag on it. He handed it to her, saying, "I thought you'd rather stay in the clean robe than put your clothes back on."

"That's true. Thanks." As she bent to put her shoes back on, Felix migrated to the front door. Standing, she walked over to him and reached one arm up to his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

"Thank you, Felix. I truly do feel worshipped."

"Then I've done what I set out to do, dear Bella. I'm glad you came to visit me."

"So am I. Have a good night."

"It will be full of revelations, I'm sure." Opening the door, he sent her off with "Be at peace, Bella. Sleep well."

She nodded, carefully walking from the door to the car so as not to trip on the uneven ground. Opening the car door, she looked back at Felix, standing naked in the doorway. With a smile, she swung into the car and closed the door. Finding the key in the ignition, she started the car and followed the obvious path down the mountain.

Halfway back to the ranch, she stopped the car. Getting out, she took a deep breath, feeling the open space all around her. Climbing on the hood of the car, she leaned back against the front window and stared at the stars above her.

* * *

><p>END NOTE:<p>

English/American Units to Metric: 6 foot 7 inches = 2 meters.


	6. Banner Day

Chapter 6 -** Banner Day**

At breakfast the following morning, Bella stared at the blank notecard that had been delivered with her room service. How could she begin to explain to Carlisle what had happened last night? As she finished her meal, it came to her. She quickly scrawled out, "Felix challenged me mentally, physically, and spiritually," then placed the card in the envelope for Carlisle and put her tray in the hall to be collected.

* * *

><p>Bella walked down the hallway, looking again at the note that had been slipped under her door after breakfast. She re-read the words written in the masculine handwriting she'd become so familiar with over the past two days.<p>

_Please meet me in my office at 10 a.m._

As she walked along, nearly giddy with pleasure, she took in the soreness of her body, the charge of femininity she felt she was radiating as she walked. She could feel the sway of her hips, thought about how a man might react to them, listened to the brush of her clothing and reveled in her hair swishing across her back. Felix had given her a lot to think about.

Knocking on the frame of the open library door, Bella saw Carlisle leaning over his desk, shuffling papers. While Bella's mouth watered at the particularly nice view of his backside, she wondered at the out-of-character clothing he sported. Instead of his usual expensive-looking suits with barely unbuttoned collared shirts, Carlisle was wearing khakis, a button-down shirt with a tie, and a cardigan. Bella was sorry not to see the crisp suits he'd worn in the past but found him much more approachable in what he had on now.

Shaking her head to clear it, she spoke, "You wanted me to come see you?"

"Ah, yes, Ms. Swan, please come in. Thank you for being prompt." Carlisle motioned her to a half-circle of chairs in front of his desk. As she sat where directed, she looked around, noticing the freestanding chalkboards located around the room. Directly in front of her were three boards: the one directly in front of her was blank, the left one was titled "The Science of Fellatio," and the right one was titled "The Art of Fellatio." Bella attempted to wet her mouth, which had suddenly gone dry.

"I'm glad you were able to attend this make-up lecture, Ms. Swan. I was disappointed when you weren't in class for the original lecture. You missed a lively group discussion, I'm afraid."

Bella was definitely confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Make-up lecture, Ms. Swan? For the Human Sexuality 340 class you missed last week?" Carlisle's eyebrows rose, as if challenging her to remember something she knew nothing about. Taking in the entire room again, the chalkboards, the chairs arranged in a semi-circle, and Carlisle's marked sartorial difference, looking like he stepped from a J. Crew catalogue, she suddenly caught on. Now, how to play along?

"Um…I'm really sorry, Professor…." Here Bella paused, hoping Carlisle would clue her in to the name she should use. He took her hint and slightly shifted a nameplate on his desk. Reading it, she continued, "…Banner." Shifting, she continued, "I do appreciate your offering an alternative lecture."

Before he started the lecture, Bella asked, "Will there be any other students joining us, Professor Banner?"

"No, Ms. Swan, all of my other students were able to make their regularly assigned class time without any trouble. It will just be you and me today."

_This ABSOLUTELY has possibilities…._

"Shall we begin?"

Bella nodded.

"In this class, I will be lecturing on 'The Science and Art of Fellatio.'"

Looking to the chalkboard directly behind him labeled 'The Science of Fellatio,' Carlisle turned the board over, beginning his lecture.

"Let's start with a quick overview of some historical and biological information."

_Not the part of the lecture I'm looking forward to, Professor Carlisle._

"We can find references to oral sex - and other kinds of sex - in ancient India, China, Japan, Greece, Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia and other areas. In some areas or periods of human history, oral sex is documented as something taboo or disdainful, in others as something revered and pleasurable, and in others still, without much of a value judgment at all."

Bella's mind began to wander as the lecture continued. In an effort to cool her aroused body down, she unfastened the top two buttons of her shirt. _Okay, I didn't realize I had a thing for professors before, but I definitely have a thing for this one! I know there are DILFs; are there also PILFs? He's not really a professor, though, so maybe he's a Fake Professor I'd Like to Fuck?_

As her attention returned to the room, Bella noticed that Carlisle had moved to the next board to her left and was using chalk to underline certain words on the board. "Latin erotic terminology actually distinguishes two acts of oral sex: fellation and irrumation. In the current vernacular, fellatio is referred to as a blowjob. Generally, the fellator is the active member of the pair. Irrumation differs…"

_Oh, say 'fellator' again, Professor. You made my mouth water… _

Bella swallowed in an attempt to control her body's response to him but then slumped down in her chair so that she could get a better sightline on Carlisle's backside. As her thoughts continued to ramble, her breathing deepened. _And could you turn and face the board so I can get another look at your ass while you're lecturing me? Frankly, I wouldn't mind a front view, either…I can fantasize about you either way…_

"How frequent is oral sex? In the 1960's, Albert Kinsey found that at least of 60% of married, college-educated couples reported experiencing oral-genital contact. These rates greatly decreased in less-educated couples."

_I would really like for you to educate me, Professor Banner…_

Moving back to the center of the room, Carlisle continued, "…let's look at human biological response."

_Okay, now we're getting closer to my areas of interest…why don't we just look at your biological response?_

Moving to another chalkboard, 'Professor Banner' flipped it. The board was titled "Masters and Johnson Four-Phase Sexual Response Cycle."

"Let's talk about what you would see from a person receiving oral sex. We've discussed the Masters and Johnson four-phase model of sexual response in this class previously, but let's review the model briefly: Excitement, Plateau, Orgasm, and Resolution."

"Excitement is quite obvious; it is when the body begins to show signs of arousal. In men, this is demonstrated by an erection, increased muscle tension, and even by exhibiting what is called a "sex flush" – a red, rosy coloration of the skin that may appear in the chest area."

"Plateau is a higher level of excitement, with a more maintained sexual arousal response. During this time, the testes pull up toward the body, and pre-ejaculation may occur.

"Orgasm, or climax, is a buildup of tension that triggers pleasurable sexual release. It is usually brief, lasting a few seconds to less than a minute, but there is a rush of pleasurable physical sensations, in addition to increased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.

"And, finally, Resolution follows almost immediately after the orgasm/climax stage; the body then begins to relax and return to an unexcited state. Men experience a refractory period, which is a time following orgasm during which men are physically incapable of experiencing another orgasm or ejaculation.

"I know I'm going through this information rather quickly, Ms. Swan. Are you following along all right?"

_Oh, I'm following you just fine, Professor. Could you speak a little slower, anyway?_ Clearing her throat, Bella responded, "Yes, sir."

"Okay, then, let's continue our discussion with Psychology and Methodology."

_All right – the good stuff!_

"Fellatio, or oral sex in general, can be seen as a full expression of a woman's power – or a man's, for that matter. If you are able to cause another person to lose control of their own body for even the smallest amount of time – seconds, in the case of an orgasm, you have a certain power over them. Of course, in further lectures we'll discuss power exchange; how sexual partners allow themselves to be vulnerable to each other, and therefore hold their own power…"

_Ooooh, I've GOT it – let's go with the theme of the day and say he's a Professor I'd Like to SUCK – that's PILS, which puts me half way to a really nice beer…maybe I could get him to drink a beer and I could lick the foam off his lips…Damn, I want to do naughty, naughty things to him…_

"Okay, let's see what you already know. May I have your assignment, please?"

_I'm sorry, what?_ Bella stared at him in a panic. "Assignment?"

"The journal page you were supposed to write describing your psychological and physical experiences in regards to administering oral sex? Have you completed it?"

Bella felt the redness creep up her neck. She'd never skipped an assignment in her life!

"No, sir, I'm afraid I didn't."

Carlisle sighed deeply, and then continued, "Ms. Swan, you were informed at the beginning of the school year that taking part in Human Sexuality 340 called for you to fill out a journal that required you to be extremely forthcoming about your sexual experiences. You personally requested that I sign you into the class even though you had not taken all the prerequisites and assured me you would be able to keep up with the work. You had some brilliant insights on sexual power on your last assignment. I was looking forward to your insights on this one."

Bella sat, goggle-eyed. _Oh, no, I pissed off the PILS…_

"I'm really sorry, Professor. I simply don't have much experience at giving oral sex, and I'm sure I haven't made my best attempt at doing so just yet."

"Miss Swan, if you had any questions about the assignment, you should have contacted any one of my TAs. They've been keeping me up to date on your progress in this class, and I'm sure any one of them would have been more than willing to…assist you." Again, Carlisle sighed. "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer the entire lecture, then, Ms. Swan."

_I'm thinking that's not such a hardship, Professor. _Bella shifted in her seat and crossed her legs in the opposite direction_. Let me listen to you tell me all about giving blowjobs; I'm all ears. _

With an internal grin, she muttered, "Well, I suppose I'll just have to endure it."

"Well, then, let's start with the Kama Sutra. The Kama Sutra is the earliest well-known text dealing with oral sex. What might be surprising to most people is that it does not contain a description of the oral sex acts that women performed on men, but instead it contains the oral sex acts that eunuchs performed on men. While it might pass a bit of a value judgment on the practice, it does describe in detail the variety of actions the eunuchs performed."

As Carlisle flipped the board that was labeled "The Art of Fellatio," Bella froze. Before her were several photographs of a woman thoroughly enjoying the feeling of having her mouth on a man's cock. Bella took in the woman: caramel-colored hair, dark eyes that gleamed with feminine power, ruby red lips wrapped around a beautiful, powerful cock. It was what she noticed next that sent her straight up out of her seat.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Swan?"

Bella swallowed. "No, sir. May I have a minute?"

"Take your time, Ms. Swan. I realize the photos can be…exciting."

Bella wobbled over to the library door, going over what she'd seen in her mind. No, she was positive she'd made the correct analysis. Now she simply had to figure out how to get what she wanted.

As she got to the door, she looked around for the lock. Seeing the button next to the handle, she pressed it, and then checked the door to be sure that the mechanism had taken hold. Assured that there would be no disturbance from the outside, she turned to face Carlisle.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Swan?"

_I don't know that I'd call it a __problem__, Professor._ "How do you expect me to just sit there and look at that, Professor Banner?"

"Why, Ms. Swan, I believe I've already explained in my lecture that it's a perfectly natural act…"

She strode slowly back to where he stood, feeling her confidence grow as she did. "Not the act, Professor. The fact that you're displaying photos of your own cock to me and expecting me to just calmly sit there and take it. Quite unprofessional."

Carlisle blinked heavily, lowered his eyebrows, and stammered, "I…I'm sure I don't know what…"

"Oh, you know; and so do I. I'm clumsy, so I tend to notice other people's little scars. It makes me feel like I'm not the only person who's stumbled into something." Pointing to one of the photos where a man's hand cradled the woman's head, thumb clearly on display above her ear, Bella continued. "You have a two-hole puncture scar at the base of your thumb. I wondered about it the first day we met."

Carlisle nodded, rubbing the spot on his hand. "A friend's pet snake bit me when I was younger. Non-venomous, fortunately…"

Bella turned back to the photographs, quickly noting the content of the photos and their labels: Nominal Congress, Biting the Sides, Outside Pressing, Inside Pressing, Kissing, Rubbing, Sucking a Mango Fruit _(sucking a mango fruit?)_, and Swallowing Up. "What would the administration say about you putting your cock on display for the student body, Professor Banner? And what about this woman?"

Joining her in looking at the photographs, he answered, "What about her?"

_Oh, no, mister, I'm the one doing the questioning here…_

Bella placed her finger on one of the photographs, stroking both woman's face and Carlisle's cock. "Was she aware she was being photographed?"

"We used her camera," Carlisle croaked, sweating as he watched her fingers play with a representation of his cock. "And her lights."

Bella's eyebrows rose. "And who took the photographs?"

Turning his face to hers, he hoarsely replied, "Does it matter?"

"No," Bella shook her head. "Not really." After a moment's pause, she continued, eyes burning. "We still have a small problem, Professor Banner."

"And what problem is that, Ms. Swan?"

"You don't want me telling the administration about your little foray into exhibitionism," she challenged.

Carlisle played along. "I would prefer that you not, that's true."

"Well, I believe I'm done with lectures on this subject. I would prefer to learn about this subject matter in more of a practicum setting."

Thinking a moment, Carlisle countered, "You want me to hold a practicum on fellatio?"

"Yes. Now, if you don't mind." Bella reached forward and began loosening his tie, slipping the knot loose and letting the edges fall to his chest.

"Let me see if I understand; in exchange for not telling the administration that I used pictures of my own cock in a class lecture, you want me to use my cock to instruct you on how to perform fellatio properly?"

_Yes, please!_ Bella looked up at him earnestly as she unfastened the buttons on his cardigan. "The fact that it's twisted is part of its charm, don't you think?"

Carlisle huffed in response as Bella stepped closer to him, her breasts brushing against his chest as she pushed the sweater off his shoulders and let it fall to their feet. Grabbing one end of his tie, she stepped away from him, pulling it off his neck as she went. Walking over to his desk, she sat the tie down, and then moved the chair, rolling it directly behind where he was standing. Carlisle sat gingerly, seemingly still in a bit of a daze. Bella circled back around to the front of the chair, and she could see the moment his mind switched from possibilities to probabilities, his eyes reflecting a laser-like focus and certainty. He leaned back in the chair, throwing one elbow over the top, and slid his hips down in the chair; one leg bent, one extended. Bella thought he looked a bit like a lion sunning himself as he stated, "I accept your offer, Ms. Swan. You may begin at any time."

Taking a deep breath, Bella allowed herself a moment to do an internal fist-pump at her success. _I get to see – hell, I get to SUCK – his beautiful cock! Go me!_

Bella moved to stand between Carlisle's spread legs and reached for his belt.

"Are you going to kiss me before you suck me?"

Unused to such crassness coming from his mouth, Bella's eyes flashed to Carlisle's. "I thought guys liked to get right to the main event?"

"Boys might like the direct approach; men enjoy a bit of foreplay."

"Then how about this reason – I thought your cock might like some room?"

Carlisle laughed. "Did you just make that reason up?"

Bella leaned in to place a soft, wet kiss on Carlisle's mouth. Pulling back slightly, she whispered, "Can I help it if I'm anxious to get a look at your beautiful cock?"

Carlisle hummed in response. Brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek, he replied, "Don't be anxious, beautiful Bella."

Bella gathered her hair to one side of her neck, then placed her hands on either side of Carlisle's chair, and leaned into his body, pressing her chest to his as she kissed him deeply. Carlisle's hands roamed her body, pulling her hips into his. Moving to wrap his hands around her waist, his thumbs stroked the undersides of her breasts.

As she moved to kiss his chin and up his jaw, she shifted her weight back to her legs so that she could unbutton Carlisle's shirt. He leaned his head back in the chair to give her better access, and Bella took heed of this action, kissing down his neck, hitting places on his that she knew to be sensitive on hers. Bella found it was easy to know when she hit a spot he liked, as his breathing hitched and she could see the muscles in his upper legs flex.

Opening his shirt, Bella knelt and began to focus her attentions on his chest. When she got to his well-defined abdominal muscles, she began to think of what she would do next and frantically looked for guidance from the photographs again. Realizing that she was unable to see them from her current position, she shuffled slightly so that she could see better. When she discovered she still couldn't see them, she blew out a breath and stood, jerking Carlisle's chair around until she felt she would be able to see his cock both on the board above them and in person.

As she started to kneel again, Carlisle piped up, "You should put the sweater under your knees, or they'll start to hurt pretty quickly."

Bella grabbed the sweater from its place on the floor and shoved it under her knees. She then asked, "Will you bark at me again if I undo your belt now?"

Lifting his head to look at her, he moaned, "Sweet Bella, if you don't undo it soon, I'm going to beg you to."

Bella turned her attention to his cock and saw it straining against his pants. She ran her hands up Carlisle's calves and along the tops of his thighs, watching his muscles contract in reaction to her touch. When she reached the top of his thighs, she used her hands to push herself up so that she could kiss Carlisle again. As her tongue entered his mouth, she dragged the thumb of one hand up the ridge of his cock.

Carlisle groaned, encouraging her to do it again. His hands flew from their resting place on the chair to thread through her hair, massaging her scalp. As she broke the kiss, he muttered, "So good, Bella. Keep going."

Emboldened, Bella ran her entire palm up the line of his cock.

"That feels so good, Bella."

"Do you think I could make you come this way?" she teased.

"It would be difficult for me to finish the fellatio practicum if you did," he responded breathily.

_You know, I really want to hear you tell me just how to blow you._ Bella knelt back down on the sweater. Taking a breath to steady herself, she began undoing Carlisle's belt. Her hands were shaking from excitement and adrenaline, and she fumbled with the buckle. Placing his hands over hers, he guided her in unfastening both the buckle and his pants. Carlisle then lifted his hips, allowing them both to push down his khaki pants and his dark silk boxers. As his cock sprang free, Bella gazed at what had been bared. Her fingernails dug into Carlisle's thighs as she groaned in appreciation.

"In order to comfort a man's insecurities, you should tell him your positive impressions of his cock, Bella."

Her eyes lifting briefly from his cock, she asked, "How can you be insecure about your fucking gorgeous cock, Carlisle?"

"Generalities, Bella – you wanted a practicum, so I'm telling you. All men have insecurities about their cock. Thus, compliment the man's cock."

"You have a fucking gorgeous cock, Carlisle."

"Thank you. Now express your interest in putting your mouth on it."

Licking her lips, she said, "I can't wait to get my mouth on your fucking gorgeous cock, Carlisle."

He gave a short, sharp laugh. "You are a true joy, Bella."

"What next, Professor?"

"The Kama Sutra would suggest the 'nominal congress.' While holding the cock at the base, the tip is moved about the mouth. The objective would be to use your saliva to lubricate the man's cock."

_Well, it is…mouthwatering…_

Nodding, Bella moved her left hand to hold the base of Carlisle's cock. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling as her mouth moved closer to him.

"Aren't you going to watch, Professor?"

"Not if you want to be instructed, Ms. Swan." As she kissed the tip of his smooth, hot, silky skin, Carlisle took in a deep breath. When she used her mouth to encircle him, he let the breath out loudly and slowly. "At this point, most men are smart enough to compliment how wonderful your mouth feels on them." Humming in pleasure, he said, "Your mouth is heavenly."

_Now just teach me how to make you see God, Professor._

"The Kama Sutra would suggest 'biting the sides' next. First, rub the side of the man's cock with your lips." Bella moved to follow his instruction. After a few strokes on each side, he continued. "Next would come the 'biting' – this is a mistranslation; it is more of a scraping of the skin with the teeth. It's very important to pay attention to the reactions of your partner, and encourage feedback."

As she attempted this instruction, Carlisle gasped sharply.

_Oh, shit, mayday, mayday!_ She drew away quickly. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, but it's quite intense for me. I'd prefer we move on."

_We can move on, but don't think I won't come back to that later!_

"Next would be 'outside pressing,' pressing your lips around the outside - meaning the outermost - part of the cock – and drawing it out."

Bella paused in confusion. Sensing it, he clarified, "The crass translation would be 'suck the tip lightly, then pull your mouth off.' Using your lips to cover your teeth is important in this step, as the tip of a man's cock is extremely sensitive."

Taking heed of his warning, Bella followed his directions. She could tell he was enjoying her ministrations, as his hips began to flex in time with her actions. She also noted the white-knuckled grip he had on the office chair. Amazed at the feeling of power that surged through her, she took her mouth off Carlisle's cock.

Without prompting, Carlisle continued. "Next is 'inside pressing.' Move further down my…the man's cock."

Bella had a more difficult time with this component, as she was unable to move more than halfway down his cock without feeling her throat close.

"Don't force yourself, Bella. Enjoy it, too."

_I'll enjoy it when I make you come. I have a goal!_

After a few more strokes, he brought his head up to look at her. "Next would be kissing. Think of slow, wet kisses you place on someone's mouth. Then do the same to the tip of the man's cock. Eye contact is very important in this step. Men long to see a woman look them in the eyes as she enjoys their cock. It's a…powerful…male fantasy."

Bella leaned back a bit, breathing deeply. Wrapping both hands around the base of his cock, Bella made eye contact with Carlisle, keeping their eyes locked as she slowly bent her head down to him.

"Tease," he whispered.

_Watch me kiss your cock, Carlisle. I've wanted to do this from the moment I saw you._

Bella brought her mouth to within a hair's breadth of the liquid seeping from the bright red tip of his cock, and pursed her lips, blowing a light stream of air over his highly sensitized skin. The sensation caused him to jump in response.

_Did you like that, Professor? You'll love this!_

She slowly placed her lips to his skin, her top lip collecting the beads of fluid gathered at the tip. She took in every little movement and sound and flutter of breath Carlisle made in response to her actions. The flash of heat she felt was all-encompassing. As she placed more kisses on the tip of his cock, she let her thumbs stroke the bulging veins from base to tip.

Gasping, Carlisle scolded, "You're going…a bit…off book, Ms. Swan."

_You don't really seem to mind, Carlisle…_

Looking up at the photographs, Bella noticed the next one on the list was 'rubbing', which seemed to her like licking. Since Carlisle seemed to be reacting so well to her thumbs, she decided to let her tongue follow the same path. As she got to the base of his cock, Bella was overcome by maleness – the heat of his cock, the scent of his skin. She continued to explore, gently sucking and tugging on the skin underneath his cock.

Panting, Carlisle bit out, "Excellent…creativity…Bella." He groaned in response to her pleased hum and breathed heavily, "During 'sucking…a mango fruit'…do not let a man…force you…to take…more of his cock…than you can." His head fell back as he finished talking, but his eyes remained open, trained on the ceiling. His hands unclenched from the arms of the chair and laced into her hair. "Caress, yes…guide, possibly. Force, never."

As she knelt up to get a better angle, Bella heard Carlisle say, "Decide now…if you want this to end…in your mouth…or with your hand, Bella. Either is…acceptable… but decide now. "

_Oh, I want it all, Professor._

Gathering a bit of his control back, he stated, "If you want to swallow…when the time comes…you should move down…onto the man's cock…as far as you can…and swallow immediately. It prevents…most of the…unpleasant taste."

"Good to know," Bella replied. Then she encompassed his cock with her mouth again, sucking as she moved her head up and down. She quickly found where her limit was, and stayed just short of it. As she did so, Bella thought Carlisle must have some sort of voodoo at his disposal, for while his torso tensed and turned due to his sexual tension, his hips stayed still. Hearing his breath hitch burned Bella's blood – she radiated the heat of her arousal.

"Harder…more suction," Carlisle begged, shifting his legs farther apart.

_You better fucking believe I will – just tell me what will please you, and I'll do it!_

"Yes…yes…yes," he moaned as he lifted his head to watch her progress. She lifted her eyes to meet his as she continued, holding the base of his cock with one hand and using the other hand to stroke the tensed muscles of his stomach. After a few minutes, she saw his eyes flutter closed, and she knew he was close.

_I'm doing it! I'm going to make him come!_

She sped up her motions, and soon she heard him growl, "Coming," lifting his head and gritting his teeth so hard the muscles bulged in his neck. Bella immediately sank down as far as she could, and felt warm, thick fluid collect in the back of her throat. She swallowed, and detected a sour, salty taste, but so little of the substance remained that the unpleasantness was brief.

_Fuck, yeah! I'm fucking Queen of the Blowjobs!_

Bella carefully extracted Carlisle's cock from her mouth and gently placed it to rest against his body. Then, she scooted forward enough to wrap her arms around his thighs, kissing his stomach and then resting her head on his chest as he took deep, gulping breaths. After a few minutes, he lifted her head up, kissing the top of her head and both cheeks before softly kissing her mouth. "Thank you, Bella."

Eyes sparkling, Bella replied, "I hope I earned a good grade, Professor."

Carlisle snorted. Raising his eyebrows, he responded, "I do believe that was A+ work, Ms. Swan."


	7. O My Goddess

Chapter 7: **O My Goddess**

* * *

><p>"Harder, suck harder!" she commanded him, grabbing a large fistful of his too-styled hair and forcing his smooth cheek to press further down on her breast. His fingers sped up their motion inside of her, causing her back to arch again, her body clenching in response to her orgasm.<p>

_Oh God, how many is that? Did he say only three? What the hell am I doing, agreeing to this?_

* * *

><p>"<strong>I do believe that was A+ work, Ms. Swan."<strong>

**Bella laid her head back down on Carlisle's chest, luxuriating in the feel of his skin under her. She wished she'd taken off her own clothing, so she could feel more of her skin pressed against his.**

_**Now, just how the hell am I supposed to write a note about THIS experience?**_

**After a comfortable silence, Carlisle spoke. "You surprised me, Bella. I wasn't really expecting you to take over the session. I had a full lecture, handouts…the works."**

**Bella felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "Sorry about messing up your plan."**

"**Regret nothing, Bella. What happened was just as educational as what was planned. Did you enjoy it?"**

**Bella felt her face color more. "I really don't think I can talk with you about this, Carlisle"**

"**Bella, in your first note, you said you wanted to be able to speak confidently about sex. If you can't be confident when talking to a man you just gave a fantastic orgasm to, then who? Besides, I'm the one sitting here like a half-shucked ear of corn."**

**Bella took in his dishabille: a strip of naked skin from neck to feet, his shirt wide open and barely hanging on to his shoulders, his pants lying crumpled around his ankles. She then absorbed the fact that she was completely dressed. Yes, she could see how this might be uncomfortable for him, yet he seemed completely unaffected by it. Leaning up, she said, "I should let you get dressed." **

**Carlisle put his hands on the arms of the chair and pulled himself up into a sitting position. As he tugged his pants over his hips, he noticed Bella's extreme concentration on his nudity. "While I don't mind you watching me, Bella, you still need to tell me what you thought. This encounter was in response to your statement that you weren't sure how to please a man orally. Obviously, that's changed. "**

**It took some effort, but as Bella stood, she switched her focus from Carlisle's cock to his words. "Yes, with coaching! I don't know if I could do it without you telling me what to do next."**

**He paused to think about her argument. "First things first. How do you feel about what happened?"**

**She looked into his eyes as she said, "I feel…powerful."**

* * *

><p>As her body relaxed from her pleasure, he teased her mouth with his. Bella could feel the looseness in every muscle of her body.<p>

"Water," she croaked. Almost immediately, she felt herself being lifted into a sitting position, a bottle touching her lips, and the cool liquid soothing her dry mouth. She knew she was leaning back on someone… who was it again? There was talking going on; was she supposed to be paying attention? What was that deep buzzing sound?

_Oh, God, was it…?_

Bella violently shook as the powerful vibrator brushed across the tips of her breasts and slowly moved down the middle of her stomach. She wanted it to move faster, so she undulated her hips to try and make it arrive at its destination sooner.

"Patience, goddess."

After a side trip to her hipbones and behind her knees, the vibrator began a slow traverse up the inside of her thighs.

"Do you see how the anticipation is just as arousing as the act?" she heard one of them say. She was panting, moaning; what could she do to convince him to touch her pussy with the damn vibrator?

"Oh, God, please…" she panted.

"Please, goddess? What would please you?"

"Make me come again," she begged.

"Of course, dear Bella." And with that, he touched the machine to her clit, and she bucked and writhed under its movement.

"…and you can see how number nine differed from the others…"

_Nine! I've made it to nine! How many more?_

"Use your safeword if you need to, Bella. Do you remember it? Use it, and I'll stop," she heard him say. "Otherwise, it's happening again. The young man wants another chance at pleasing you. Say something now, Bella."

_I'll be damned if I'm saying anything. Keep going!_

* * *

><p>"<strong>Wait, I wasn't supposed to figure out the man in the photos was you?"<strong>

**Carlisle blushed. "I can honestly say that has never happened to me before when giving this lecture."**

**Bella smiled her pleasure. "Well, then, what **_**was**_** the plan for today?"**

**After tucking his shirt into his pants, Carlisle moved his chair back behind his desk. Bella watched Carlisle, the manager of Hedone Ranch, reappear from the remnants of Professor Banner. "Well, I have a young man who's new to the Ranch. He needs…seasoning, to use Jasper's analogy again. He actually reminds me quite a bit of Jasper when he got here: both so pretty that the girls let them do whatever they wanted, and the girls said they were satisfied - whether they actually were or not - just to try and keep them. The man I have in mind needs to learn to follow, not always lead."**

**As Carlisle looked at her expectantly, she asked, "What were you wanting me to do?"**

**He grinned. "I was going to give you the lecture handouts, then let you experiment with him. No coaching. Consider it more like…freestyling. Or, to borrow our teaching terminology, in-service training."**

**Eyes bright and slightly unfocused, Bella blushed again. "Oh, well, that could still happen, couldn't it?"**

* * *

><p>"Don'…d…d…"<p>

She could feel the sweat cooling on her body, and she shivered. Then she noticed a towel being gently drawn over her skin. God, she could feel every single solitary strand of cotton as it dragged along.

A voice appeared next to her head, but she had no energy to turn in its direction. "Can you speak, dear? It seems as if you've lost the ability…have I rendered you speechless, Bella? How delightful!"

The voice moved away from her. "Get her a buzzer. Show her how it works."

His breath skimmed over her skin again, the sensation causing her to groan in response.

"Use the buzzer, Bella, and all of this will stop. You can rest."

_I'm not stopping now; you can't make me!_

"No, no, dear, you can't drop the buzzer. You have to hold it." Again his voice left her side. "Tape it to her hand."

Bella could hear the tape rip and felt it press against her skin. "Now, just try to push the button, Bella. Prove to me you can do it if you want to. "

Both her mind and her body seemed to be operating in molasses. It took entirely too long for her hand to respond to the command from her brain. As the high-pitched buzz sounded out, she heard the man say, "Perfect."

His breath tickled her ear again. "Now, goddess, it's time for another one if you don't push the button. You need to do it now, or we start again."

_I don't want to stop! I want to know how many I can take!_

Everything started again; the hands on her body, the kissing, licking, rubbing of her breasts, the stroking of her clit, the penetration…

_Shit, yes, yes, yes…oh God, don't stop, right…there…don't…stah…ah…_

"…so beautiful, Bella…fourteen…"

_More. I can take more…_

* * *

><p><strong>Hearing the knock on her door, Bella took a deep breath and stood.<strong>

**Showtime!**

**Opening the door, she took in the…man?...on the other side. He had dark hair and darker eyes and seemed a bit more sleek than the other men she'd seen here, but it was his face that shocked her. It looked as if it had never been introduced to a razor; skin perfect and smooth, features pretty and placid. **

"**Hi, I'm Alec," the young man said, his cocky smirk at odds with his baby face, "at your service. I just need a place to set up the massage table."**

_**What the hell? Carlisle is trying to make me a cougar or a pedophile. Neither one is acceptable!**_

**Bella motioned him inside her room, and then turned for the phone on the bedside table, muttering, "Excuse me." Picking up the cordless handset, she headed straight for the bathroom and shut the door, then dialed "0".**

"**How can I help you, Bella?" Carlisle's soothing voice answered.**

"**I don't think I can do this, Carlisle; he's so damn young, and he's prettier than I am!"**

"**That is pointedly untrue, Bella," he purred into the phone. Bella's brain fritzed a bit as she tried to keep her wits in the wave of sexiness Carlisle sent over the wire. "His looks have carried him far, and they'll be quite an asset if he decides to join us here at the Ranch. Right now, though, he needs to be…shaken up a bit. I'd appreciate it if you could challenge his assumptions a little. I **_**want**_** you to be the boss. Do you think you can do that, Bella?" **

"**I thought you just wanted me to give him a blowjob!"**

"**Bella – it's all part of a sexual power dynamic. Use your new skills. Show him what you've learned. Pardon the pun; I want you to blow his mind."**

_**Is his mind in his dick? 'Cause I think I can do it if it is…**_

**Taking a deep breath, she replied, "Okay, Carlisle."**

"**Thank you, Bella."**

**Switching the phone off, she took a steadying breath and re-opened the bathroom door. She could see the young man's façade slip a bit as he fidgeted with the items he'd set on a table in preparation for her massage. Strolling back over to the bedside table, she replaced the phone in its cradle and sauntered over to where he stood. She could see his mask of confidence slip back over his features as she approached.**

_**So here we go…game on!**_

"**I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Bella." Moving closer to where he stood, she started questioning him. "How old are you, Alec? I'm not looking to have a news team show up at my house…"**

"**I'm old enough to have a degree in Massage Therapy."**

"**You have a teenage boy's haircut, Alec! How…old…are…you?"**

**Face falling, he replied, "Twenty. I'm twenty."**

"**You can't even legally drink?" Bella squawked.**

"**I'm old enough to be drafted, Bella. I'm a man in the eyes of the law!"**

**Bella thought about his answers and had to agree he had a point. She decided she could play a small part in turning this cocky young thing into a man.**

**As she moved to unbutton her blouse, Bella moved into his personal space. Although his features didn't change at all, she could see sweat starting to bead up on his forehead. He ran his fingers through his hair, using his palm to try and discreetly wipe away the moisture before she noticed.**

_**Oh no, sweet thing, I already saw your weakness…and mister, I am so going to school you.**_

* * *

><p>She was floating. Could you die from too much pleasure?<p>

Oh, God, she was going to die! What the hell would they charge these guys with? Would her obituary read, "Bella Swan: Fucked to Death"?

"…seventeen…"

_There he is, the pretty boy. I'm going to call him 'The Angel of Orgasms." That's what he has to be. My pretty Orgasm Angel…_

_You know, every time I orgasm from now on, I'm going to think about this ungrateful pretty boy learning how amazing it is to give a woman what she wants…_

"…twenty…"

Bella giggled. She couldn't seem to stop. She felt soooooo good. Had she known before that laughing felt like an orgasm? She didn't think she'd known that.

She needed to laugh more – pronto…

_Shit, they're talking again – say how many!_

"…twenty-three…"

_Fuck, yeah, now I'm the Queen of Orgasms, too…_

* * *

><p><strong>Alec slumped over, his knees shaking, his hands clawing the table to hold himself upright. Kneeling in front of him, Bella felt the cold bite of his pants zipper digging into her thigh, felt the sparse hair on his legs brush the outside of her breasts, felt the heat of his cock in her mouth as he roared and released.<strong>

_**You, my young friend, just matriculated from the School of Bella. Did you like your graduation present?**_

**Bella kissed up his body, from thighs to hips to abs to chest to neck, taking in Alec's labored breathing as he desperately tried to force oxygen into his lungs. She lifted her chin to place a kiss on his lips and was stunned to see him turn his lips from hers. She was even more stunned when his head jerked right back.**

**Bella noticed a hand wrapped around Alec's neck, forcing his head back in her direction. Then she saw a man's face directly behind Alec, hissing in his ear. "You'd damn well better kiss the goddess after she has honored you with her mouth, you ingrate."**

_**Fuck, where did this guy come from? Well, she was otherwise occupied…**_

**Bella closed in on Alec's mouth again. As the man held Alec by the scruff of his neck, Bella pressed herself to his chest and gently dragged her tongue over Alec's lips, seeking entrance to his mouth.**

_**Don't want to press your lips to mine after I blow you, huh? You really won't like what I'm going to do now! **_

**Alec's head jerked again. "Open your damn mouth before I open it for you," the newest addition to the room commanded harshly.**

_**I think I'm going to like this new guy…**_

**Bella kissed Alec deeply, allowing her tongue to play in his mouth for several seconds before pulling away.**

"**Is your neck sore, goddess? Why don't you lie down on the table and let me work out the kinks for you?**

_**Okay, I'm **__**positive**__** I like the new guy.**_

**As Alec hung his head, Bella could see the new man behind him. He was about the same height as Alec, but older than Bella, and had dark hair pulled back away from his face and secured in some manner. He moved around Alec, making a token gesture to protect her modesty by holding a sheet extended in his hands at chest height. Bella wondered at this, as he must have seen some of the blowjob she'd given, but she didn't question him as she held her head up high and lifted herself as gracefully as possible onto the table.**

"**Face down, please, goddess."**

**Nodding, Bella prostrated herself on the table, allowing the warmth from the heating blanket underneath her to seep into her skin. As the new man's hands began to work on the tight muscles of her upper back, she groaned. **

"**Alec, as your mentor, I'd like our discussion tonight to focus on The Female Orgasm."**

**Bella could hear the capitals in her head as he spoke. She could tell this man was serious about the subject.**

"**According to Masters and Johnson, all women are capable of multiple orgasms…"**

_**Masters and Johnson again? I'm really going to have to read some of their work…**_

"**They found many women who didn't think they could have multiple orgasms find that they are able to once they become more sexually experienced or more sexually adventurous." Bella could hear the older man's voice change in strength as he turned to face her. "Have you become more experienced or more adventurous lately?"**

**Bella hummed. "You could say that…"**

**The older man's hands skimmed down her back and then moved to her mid-thigh. "They also discovered many of the women who had multiple orgasms regularly seemed to share certain proclivities. Primarily, they all grew up masturbating, and thus had a lot of experience having orgasms…"**

**Bella flushed furiously. **_**Aw, what the frickin' hell…**_

"**One of the most interesting aspects of their study, however, was the discovery that the human female is capable of having twenty to fifty consecutive orgasms, stopping only when they reach total exhaustion."**

**Bella heard herself gasp as she took in this information. **_**Surely that can't be right…until I got here I was lucky to even have one during sex!**_

**She could feel the older man lean down over her back and felt his breath tickle her ear. "May I tell you a secret, Bella?"**

**Bella swallowed heavily as she felt his hand move up the inside of her thigh, getting oh-so-close to where she needed it to be. Blood pounded in her veins and the arousal that had taken a back seat surged back to full force. She nodded.**

"**I'm a simple man. One of my most favorite sounds in the world is hearing a woman moan, scream, cry in pleasure." With that, his fingers brushed right where she wanted them.**

**Bella whimpered.**

"**Mmmmm, yes. That's exactly what I mean," he breathed in her ear as his fingers continued to work. "I'm not a sadist, nor do I get off on bondage. All I want to do is rip orgasms from you until you are speechless."**

**Bella could feel her brain melting. Surely he was joking…**

_**Holy shit, please let him NOT be joking!**_

"**What would please me the most," he growled into her ear as he plunged some of his fingers into her and pumped them while one continued to stroke her clit, "is if I could rip so many orgasms from your precious little body that you simply pass out."**

**Bella felt her body clamp down at his words, and as he continued his movements her body hurtled toward a surprisingly strong and totally unexpected orgasm.**

"**One, dear Bella. Such a goddess. Would you like to share this experience with me and see how many you can have?"**

**Bella felt aftershocks rip through her body as she contemplated his offer…for all of two seconds.**

"**Fuck, yes."**

* * *

><p>Bella heard the older man telling Alec just how to stroke her G-spot…"if you can feel it, press up with your fingers and stroke lightly, using your other hand…yes, but softer on her clit…"<p>

Bella flew again…she heard them talking, but not the number…she needed to know the number!

"H…how….how…"

"How many, dear Bella? Twenty-seven."

Bella tried to push away the hair plastered to her face, but she was barely able to lift her hand off the table. She felt his strong hands gently brush her hair back.

"What an amazing gift you've shared with us, my goddess. I'm truly honored to be a part of this, I hope you understand."

Bella keened. _No, don't stop, I can take more! I NEED more!_

"All right, dear Bella, now we get to what I think will send you over the edge; I hope you're ready. Alec, you get the honor of worshipping this goddess orally. On your knees, boy."

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh sh…_

"Start gently, Alec, she's near the breaking point. State how honored you are, how pleased you are to be where you are. Give her a chance to warm up gently to your presence there."

_Oh, I'm plenty warm…_

"Now, compliment her. Tell her how beautiful her pussy is, so pink and wet, so eager to be tasted. Speak, boy…"

She knew Alec was talking, but had no ability to process what he was saying. How was she able to hear the older man, but not…

Alec's mouth touched her pussy. She jolted like she'd been hit with a live wire and immediately flew into another orgasm.

"Bella, can you open your eyes for us? Good. So good. Thirty, goddess. I've never seen thirty. Can you take one more? I know you're near the end, dear one. Thank you for sharing this with me, Bella."

She moaned. Could she really take another one? She couldn't even keep her eyes open.

"Now, Alec, you see the full body flush, the sweat, the inability to respond to questions: all indicators of total satiation. I don't even know if she'll be able to mentally process the next orgasm, but you see her body still responds to your touch."

"…now, boy, I want you to think of slow, wet kisses you would place on someone's mouth. Then do the same to her clit. I would normally instruct you to keep eye contact, but seeing as how our goddess is unable to open her own, I'll let it slide this time…"

* * *

><p>Bella could feel the water dripping down her skin, felt hands washing her, but she couldn't tell if she was standing in the shower or sitting in the bathtub. She could feel her head lolling on her neck…she needed to look up…<p>

* * *

><p>She could feel herself being lowered into bed. She immediately rolled to her side, her over-stimulated body desperately trying to shut down.<p>

The older man's voice drifted into her brain once more. "Thirty-two, my goddess. There has never been another like you. Rest now. My name is Aro; I'll stay to see to your needs through the night. Sleep, goddess."

Bella slept.


	8. Power Surge

Chapter 8 – **Power Surge**

Bella felt heavy, as if every part of her were made of bronze instead of blood and bone. Shifting, she felt the heat of a warmed blanket under her stomach and layers of bedding on top of her back.

She heard a man reciting poetry – was that Rainer Maria Rilke? – quietly in the corner.

Opening her eyes and trying to focus past the mass of hair covering them caused her to moan aloud. The man shifted from the chair in the corner of the room and moved to sit on the side of the bed.

"Are you hungry, goddess? Would you like a bath?"

Bella wasn't sure she was hungry, but a bath sounded heavenly. She searched her brain for actual words to respond with but found nothing useful. Bella grunted in response.

"Shall I help you sit up?"

She grunted again and attempted to move her arms under herself to push herself up but only succeeded in trapping one arm in the covers and the other underneath her. She felt the covers being lifted from her body, and the man – what was his name again? – wrapped an arm underneath shoulders and lifted her up. Brushing the hair from her face, he said, "There you are, beautiful Bella." Unable to stop gravity, she unwittingly tilted her body into his. She was stretched out uncomfortably, and her head slid down his shoulder into the hollow of his neck.

_Damn, he smells really good…_

He scooted closer to her so that she was in more of an upright position. At this point she noticed that he was fully dressed and she was fully undressed.

_I__'__m __naked. __I __don__'__t __sleep __naked. __Soooo __sore. __What __the __hell?_

Flipping up the covers from the end of the bed, the man pulled a robe out from under them and said, "All right, then. Let's put on this warm robe, and then I'll carry you to the bathroom." Bella sighed with pleasure as the extremely soft, heated material wrapped around her. Picking her up, the man gently carried her into the spa-like bathroom.

"Wh…Who…?"

"I'm Aro, Bella, remember? Let's get you cleaned up a bit."

Aro sat her down at the vanity table next to the sink. Concentrating so that she could keep her balance, she took in the items on the table in front of her: two bottles of water in an ice bucket, a bottle of pain relievers, a small bouquet of fresh flowers, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush and holders, fruit, muffins, and juice.

Aro whispered in her ear, "You'll need lots of water and some pain medicine today. Let me get a couple of pills for you." After retrieving and opening a bottle of water as well, he handed both items to her. "Take the medicine. I'll go start your bath while you freshen up here."

With concerted effort, Bella got the medicine in her mouth and took a large swig of the bottled water. Eyeing the food suspiciously, Bella turned her attention to the brushes in front of her. After a couple of tries, she got the toothbrush into her hand and made a half-hearted attempt to brush her teeth before returning the toothbrush to the counter.

The person in the mirror caught her attention; her eyes bloodshot from the force of her orgasms, her hair mussed beyond recognition, her skin flushed from the heated bed. Her attention danced over the faint red marks scattered around her body – a scrape on her breast, a small hickey on her neck, an imprint of fingers on her upper arms, among others. They didn't bother her as much as she thought they would. Instead, she felt they showed off her desirability for all to see. She was sexy enough for a man (two men?) to mark her. This made her smile.

Aro returned to her side, running his fingers over the marks on her arm. Bella slowly and jerkily turned her head so that she could face him. She felt like her body was a radio getting bad reception. When she finally faced him, he brought a hand to her cheek.

"Even with the medicine, your body will be sore today, goddess. You're going to need plenty of rest. We'll get you back into bed as soon as you're done in here."

_Ah, but will anyone be joining me, handsome?_

"Are you ready to get into the bath now?"

Sighing, she nodded.

"Well, then, let's get your beautiful hair up and out of the way." Taking the hairbrush and clips from the counter, Aro quickly and easily gathered her hair, twisted it, and clipped it up off her neck. He then put the brush down and lifted her into his arms. "To the bath with you. The heat will help with the muscle tension and soreness."

Placing her down on the side of the tub, Aro deftly untied the robe Bella was wearing and smoothed it down her shoulders, then helped her lift her feet in and turn so that she faced the tub.

"Easy now," he spoke, helping her the rest of the way into the steaming hot water. Bella closed her eyes and hummed in delight as the water's heat enveloped her. "Good. Relax. I'll be back soon."

Some time later, Bella opened her eyes and saw Aro fussing with a couple of towels, setting one on the floor and hanging the other on a nearby hook. "Are you finished, Bella?"

Bella blinked. _I __don__'__t __think __I __actually __started, __God __of __Orgasms. __I __think __I __passed __out __in __the __tub._

"Did you fall back to sleep?"

Bella once again grunted her response. Aro sighed. "Well, then, I'll have to get you clean myself."

Bella watched distractedly as Aro retrieved the soap from the dish and lathered his hands. When he started applying the lather to her body, she moaned in response.

Looking at him blearily, she leaned forward until her shoulder touched his and her head once again rested in the crook of his neck. "Tell me again, ummm…"

"Aro."

"…Aro, just how many…?" She began placing wet kisses where her mouth fell on his neck, too weak to rotate her head to reach more of him.

"Thirty-two, goddess - an amazing experience. I'll remember our evening together for a very long time."

Bella moved her kisses from his neck to his face, along his jaw, and back to his ear. She breathed heavily, nipping his earlobe with her teeth.

"Oh, goddess, what I wouldn't give to get you all worked up again, but I have to consider your body. It needs a day off, dear Bella. I'm not going to lie and say I wouldn't enjoy playing with you some more, but today my focus is on care instead of arousal." Bella slumped back into the tub, her eyes showing him her disappointment. After a few moments, he offered, "How would you like it if after you're done here, I give you another massage. Then you can lie back down and rest some more."

Basking in the warmth of Aro's conscientious affection, Bella tried to show her appreciation by smiling, but she wasn't sure she succeeded in transferring the emotion to her face.

* * *

><p>Bella roused from the depths of sleep at a light knock on the door.<p>

"Carlisle! This is unexpected."

"I thought I'd relieve you."

"You know how seriously I take aftercare. You're welcome to join me if you like."

Bella heard a chair scrape, as if being repositioned.

"What happened to the floor?"

"Didn't you see?"

"I didn't watch the feed last night. I did skim over the report, though…"

_Wait, there was a feed? Does that mean there's a video? And a report? Well, isn't that an interesting piece of information?_

"Thirty-two? Is that a record for you?"

"While training, yes. Alec is going to be quite an addition to the ranch."

Bella heard pages turn. "The floor, Aro?"

"Ah – that was a young man thinking that if he just snapped his hips harder the woman he was with would come apart for him. Pushed the table halfway across the room testing out that theory."

Bella grinned internally as the men shared quiet laughter. _I __really __liked __that __orgasm. __He __was __trying __so __hard! __And __the __sound __of __the __table __scraping __the __floor __turned __me __the __fuck __on!_

"God, to be young again! He came six times?"

"Yes, the whelp. Refraction time is wasted on the young."

"He had trouble later on."

"I don't think he'd come more than three times in one night before. He didn't realize it would take more time the more it happened. He got frustrated for a while until I explained it to him."

After a bit of silence, the conversation continued. "From the report, she was amazing."

"Stunning, truly. You know, we often deal with trophy wives and female executives, women who have perfected the art of masking their emotions. She was nothing like that. It was so…stimulating."

"Yes. According to the report, you were quite…stimulated. Quite a bit more hands-on training than you usually give."

"Jealousy, Carlisle, really?"

Bella stopped breathing so that she could hear the answer.

"Just a touch, yes."

"Why? You have more experience than anyone here. You're her coordinator. She could have been yours the entire week!"

_Is he fucking kidding me right now? How the hell didn't I know about THAT option?_

"I could have, yes. But that wouldn't provide her the opportunity to have the widest range of experiences. Instead, she'd be in some sort of pseudo-relationship with me. Not exactly what we're trying to encourage here."

_All right – he may have a point there._

"Point made."

_See, even the God of Orgasms thinks so._

* * *

><p>Sunlight flooded the room as Bella stretched herself awake. The scent of fresh coffee filled her senses as she sat up. Aro sat in a chair next to the head of her bed. Carlisle sat farther back, at a table against the wall, and was reading through a sheaf of papers. A large tray with covered dishes sat next to him. The sun was so bright she figured it must be lunchtime. Her stomach growled.<p>

Aro suavely took her hand and raised it to his mouth, brushing the back of her hand with his lips. "I'm glad to see you so well rested, dear Bella. I would love to stay and have lunch with you, but I'm required elsewhere."

Bella frowned, and Aro kissed the back of her hand in supplication.

"Let me thank you once again, goddess, for letting me see the depth of the beauty you possess. The heat of your passion will be forever burned on my brain." Aro stood and bowed to her, then nodded to Carlisle, and left the room without another word.

After a few moments of silence, Carlisle said, "Lunch is ready when you are, Bella. There's a robe at the foot of the bed."

Bella stretched upwards, then bent at the waist and grabbed the robe. Slinging it around her shoulders, she turned and lifted herself out of the bed and groaned. She could feel her muscles protest, but not nearly as much as they had when she had woken up earlier. Gingerly, she walked over to join Carlisle at the table.

As she lifted the protective covers off the plates on the table, Carlisle asked, "How are you feeling? Sore?"

Shoving a piece of bacon in her mouth, she carefully replied, "Hardly sore at all. I feel… proud. Feminine. Sexy."

"Coffee?" Carlisle asked, and poured her a cup after her affirmative response.

"I understand better what Felix was trying to say when I was with him. My mind is running down all these different paths…it's difficult to keep track of all my thoughts. I feel like my mind is really clear, but I'm not altogether connected to my body – do you know what I mean?"

"I have an idea, yes. It's one of the reasons I started the ranch – I love that feeling."

Bella nodded and shoved half a small banana into her mouth.

"So, how do you feel about what happened yesterday?"

"I feel good, wonderful. I can't seem to work up any guilt or embarrassment at my behavior."

"Why should you?"

"It's amazing – I'm so glad Aro didn't take it easy on me. I love knowing what my body can do. I feel powerful. Did you know I had thirty-two orgasms? How many women have done that? Not many, I'm guessing! That's something I don't think a lot of women know about themselves."

Carlisle smiled in response. "I would be wiling to bet most women don't know that about themselves." He took a sip of coffee. "So, what would you do differently?"

Bella paused in her demolition of the food in front of her. "I wouldn't have made the angel kiss me after I'd had his come in my mouth. He didn't want to kiss me; Aro held him still, and I forced myself on him."

"That isn't what happened. Shame should have nothing to do with what happens here. I won't accept you spouting off this guilt-ridden lament about force."

"How do you think I should feel, then?"

"You should be recognizing that you were finally assertive about your sexual power!"

"I forced him to kiss me, Carlisle!"

"Force comes from lack of consent, Bella. Why do you think I waited until you said you wanted what we offered here? It's because consent is what separates men from sexual predators."

"That's just it - he didn't consent to that, not really… He wanted a blowjob. He didn't WANT to kiss me after he came in my mouth."

"He certainly wasn't fussing about the pleasure he derived from your mouth. A bit of quid pro quo was in order, Bella! He was being a petulant little boy. Aro helped you make sure he knew that."

Bella sat quietly.

Carlisle said, "It wasn't force, Bella. It was persuasion, enticement, maybe even seduction. Alec could have fought with his hands, collapsed to the floor to escape. He didn't. He was less than cooperative, but he wasn't forced."

"But he didn't CONSENT, either!"

"Of course he did. He consented the minute he entered our training program. He's here to learn to do what will please women. Did you force him into our program? No. At that moment, he was there to do what would please you. Was that force? Or was it power? Maybe it was just demanding your actions be recognized. There are so many ways to look at it," Carlisle challenged.

Bella fidgeted as she thought about what Carlisle said.

"Do you remember what you wrote on your first notecard? You said you wanted to ask for what you want, and get it, and enjoy it. You asked, you got it, but you aren't enjoying it."

"What happened to the woman who confidently blackmailed me during a role-playing scenario just yesterday? You were playful, brazen, vibrantly powerful…where did that go? Why are you ashamed for asserting your power? Men don't feel shame about it."

"I'm not a man."

Running his eyes over her barely covered body, he replied, "I've noticed."

Bella stared at him stonily. They were at an impasse.

Carlisle decided to take a different tack. "You also said you wanted to be a femme fatale, a vixen. You know, the thing about vixens is they don't always please men – sometimes vixens **challenge** men."

"That was a wish list! I don't know if I can be that kind of woman," Bella replied.

"I'd like for you to explore that a bit; maybe challenge someone mentally or physically? I'd really like for you to experience having total control over giving someone pleasure."

She drew her eyebrows down. "I don't know. I don't think I'd like that."

"I have a friend who enjoys it very much. Let me arrange a meeting between the two of you – say after dinner? I think it could be very educational for you."

Bella took a deep breath and nodded. "All right, then. After dinner."

* * *

><p>Bella smoothed her hands down the non-existent wrinkles in her darkest, dressiest sundress as she stood outside Carlisle's office. They were the most formal clothes she'd brought to the spa, and she wondered if they'd be dressy enough to meet Carlisle's unusual request to dress up after dinner.<p>

Checking the time on her phone, she saw that it was 8 p.m. exactly. She muted the phone, put it in the side pocket of her dress, and knocked on the office door as directed.

Carlisle opened the door and eyed her legs appreciatively. She returned the favor by taking in his crisp white dress shirt and light grey suit pants. She licked her lips to disguise her mouth watering. "Come in, Bella."

A diminutive woman stood by the fireplace, the light flickering off her black leather pants and her shimmery, tight, black turtleneck. "This is totally unacceptable. How is she going to command anything in that outfit?"

_Sheesh, someone takes after-dinner attire a bit too seriously…_

Carlisle smiled, but didn't turn his eyes from Bella. "Oh, I don't know, Jane, a veneer of innocence might really add something to the experience. Please come in, Bella. Meet my friend Jane."

Bella stepped far enough into the room for Carlisle to shut the door, but no further. Carlisle chuckled. "C'mon, she won't bite," he teased, placing a hand behind her back and gently guiding her to where the blonde gamine stood. "Jane, this is Bella."

"According to Aro, her name is 'Goddess'," the woman replied sourly.

Carlisle glared pointedly in Jane's direction. "Bella, I asked Jane to come here and discuss feminine power and control in sexual situations. She has some experience in that area, and she prides herself on her expertise."

Carlisle moved to stand on the far side of the room. Bella then noticed a short-haired blond man with a very youthful face and a heavy dog chain around his neck, dressed in only a pair of black knee-length spandex shorts, kneeling by the small bar and holding an empty tray. "This is her submissive. You are not to address him directly. It would be an insult to Jane's authority. Do you understand?"

"Sure," Bella agreed quickly.

"This is really the only rule of the evening: respect Jane's authority as a dominant. Do you agree to follow it?"

Eyes wide at his serious tone, Bella nodded.

Jane turned to her. "Would you like a drink?"

Bella smiled. "I'd love a glass of red wine."

Still facing Bella, Jane's voice remained deceptively quiet and calm as she commanded, "Bring Bella a glass of wine, pet. Do not stand."

Bella watched uncomfortably as the man shuffled over to the bar on his knees and poured her a drink. "Oh, I can just…"

Jane's steely voice stopped Bella. "I have given a command; my sub will follow it whether you want him to or not. If you go to him to pick up that wine glass, he will pour you another, and he'll bring it to you on his knees as I have commanded."

"Why do you want to command him? Why not approach him as an equal?"

"Don't you manage people at your job?"

"No. I manage situations to fit someone else's life."

"You serve your boss by commanding others. I serve my sub by commanding him." The man handed Bella a full wineglass, then looked to Jane. She made a hand motion, and the sub returned to Jane's left side with his head down and his arms behind his back.

"I'm not buying that. You serve by commanding? It sounds as if you're making excuses to do what you want to do anyway. What's his name?"

"His name is of no matter to you, or to me. He is my pet."

Bella sat up straighter. "What is your pet's name?"

Jane raised an eyebrow and looked at Carlisle as if to say, "who the hell does this woman think she is?" He shrugged, as if to say, "I told you she was a handful."

Jane's tone changed from frosty to arctic. "Tell the woman your name."

The man's face reddened and he whispered, "Pet."

Jane snapped, "Your real name."

The man blanched and quickly coughed, "Mike."

"Do you really think Mike is really getting anything from the inequality in your relationship?"

Jane laughed. "He absolutely does. It's symbiotic. My pet has given me a gift. He wants to leave the decision-making behind when he's with me. He's the leader of his company - forced to take over his father's business. He didn't want the job. Doesn't like the weight of responsibility for all those people and their livelihoods. Being a sub is perfect for him. When he's with me, his only responsibility is to please me, and he gets the reward of knowing that I'm pleased with him."

Bella paused to think over what Jane had said. "Okay, if it's symbiotic, what do YOU get out of it?"

Jane rubbed Mike's hair. "I get respect, love, adoration, and complete control of another person. I'm worshipped like a god. It's quite the feeling – it's addictive, Bella. Like nothing you've ever felt, knowing that as long as you don't push past what they've agreed to, not only will someone allow you to do ANYTHING to them, it will bring them unimaginable pleasure. Controlling his pain and his pleasure is what gives me my pleasure. Do you understand?"

"No. It sounds abusive. I don't see how Mike would get any pleasure from it at all."

Bella could tell Jane was through talking nicely with her. "It is in no way abusive. In fact, I'll show you how pleasurable it is." Grabbing the man's hair, she pulled his head back to look her in the eyes. "Would you like that, my dear pet? To show Bella how well you serve me?"

Mike nearly vibrated with eagerness. "How am I to show this woman that, while I can give you pain, I also give you so much pleasure?" Jane stood to her full height, which was not more than a few inches taller than the kneeling man. Still facing Bella, she said, "My pet loves to be looked at, to be praised. I heard you liked watching, Bella, so watch my beautiful golden boy." Turning to face Michael, she commanded, "Without standing up, strip and get into presentation stance - now."

Bella squirmed in her seat as the young man writhed on the floor as he removed the remainder of his clothes, his hard cock bouncing as he rushed to follow Jane's whim. After that, he rose back up on his knees and linked his hands behind his head, elbows out and eyes to the ceiling.

"Get those knees farther apart. I know you can do better."

Bella watched as Mike's knees spread farther than she thought possible, and his cock bounced in excitement.

_I__'__m __not __interested __in __having __that __boy__'__s __cock __at __all__. __I __wonder __why?_

"Better," Jane purred. "Do you see, Bella? I don't just command, I praise. I know just how handsome my pet looks like this. See how he keeps my cock hard for me?"

Bella tilted her head. "Your cock?"

"Absolutely. While my pet is with me, I own that cock. I say when it is and isn't pleasured. My pet is not allowed to touch it unless I say. It is **mine**."

"And you don't think you're brainwashing him?"

"Brainwashing him into getting hard?" Jane smirked. "That'd be an interesting trick. But I can prove to you that my pet likes what I do." She turned and walked purposefully to a closet door on the far side of Carlisle's desk. She opened the door and easily located the item she wanted, returning almost instantly. Bella was shocked to find a large paddle in her hands.

_She's gone for that paddle before._

Jane swung the paddle through the air with both hands, the displaced air whipping and whistling. "My pet loves being spanked - comes every time. That should convince you I don't have him brainwashed." Bella turned her focus to Mike as his eyes lit with excitement.

_Wait, why was that paddle in Carlisle's office closet? And how did Jane know where it was?_

Jane moved behind the man, but addressed Bella. "Watch my pet's cock. I'll bet it's leaking all over the place, isn't it? Naughty pet. How many does 'the goddess' need to see in order to understand how much he enjoys it? I'll bet my pet can finish in ten strokes. Count them, pet. Be sure to thank me."

Bella flinched as the paddle snapped against Michael's skin. "One, Mistress Jane. Thank you."

Bella didn't see the appeal in the scenario as Jane applied the paddle repeatedly to the submissive man's backside. She did, however, note the look of utter devotion on Michael's face and the copious clear fluid dripping from the head of his cock onto the floor.

"S..s…seven, Mis…tress Jane. Th..thank you."

"Are you about finished, pet?" Jane jerked on the dog chain around his neck. "I can tell you're almost there. Such a good pet. Quick count."

Mike took a deep breath as Jane reared back, swinging with all her might at his ass. "Eight." Without stopping her motion, she swung again.

"Nine." Mike bit out through gritted teeth.

Jane seemed to place all of her strength into the final swing, using enough force to make the smack sound twice as loud as any previous one. Semen spurted repeatedly from his cock as he grunted in between releases, "Ten…thank you…Mistress…Jane."

"Take a moment, pet. When you're ready, clean off my cock and the floor." Jane commanded. "Use the clothes to do it. They won't be needed the rest of the night. Then collect everything and wait in the hallway facing the wall."

As Jane's pet cleaned the floor, Bella stared at his bright pink ass, and it didn't do anything for her. She wondered what it was about this particular young man that didn't turn her on. She didn't seem to have a problem with the men that were here at the ranch…

Bella's eyes drifted to Carlisle, sitting off to her right in a high-backed upholstered chair. His eyes were heavy-lidded with pleasure, and Bella could see his cock straining against the material of his expensive pants. Carlisle evidently liked Jane's display a lot.

_Oh my God, does Carlisle want to be spanked?_

She noticed that Carlisle was breathing deeply, staring at the paddle that was still in Jane's hands, not moving a muscle. Bella saw where his attention was focused, and turned to Jane, saying, "So, how long has it been since you warmed Carlisle's ass?"

A barking laugh escaped from Jane. "Months. He's way overdue."

Bella looked to see Carlisle's bright red face and addressed Jane again. "You know why Mike wanted it – do you know why he does?"

"He spends all his time worshipping others, worrying over details, fretting over every guest's pleasure, making sure the men who stay here are sated so that they stay on. He doesn't take enough time to rejuvenate his soul, relish in his own quite powerful sexuality." Jane clarified. "Giving up control for an hour or two lets him focus on his own desires, his own emotions. Recharge his batteries, so to speak."

Bella could feel the electricity in the room racing over her skin. She took a deep breath and stood, circling the chair Carlisle was panting in. "Do you usually allow him to sit in the chair like that?" she asked Jane, frowning.

"I most certainly do not," Jane replied. "And you shouldn't allow it either."

Bella stopped behind Carlisle and leaned down to his ear. "Do you want to let go, Carlisle? Let someone else control you?"

Closing his eyes, he breathily replied, "Yes."

"Do you want to let innocent little me in my sundress boss you around, Carlisle?"

"God, yes…" he replied, somewhere between a growl and a moan.

Carlisle eyed her warily as she came into view again, his face stuck somewhere between desire and fear. Bella demanded, "The only rule of the evening is to respect the dominant. Show me my respect, Carlisle." As her eyes blazed in triumph, he slid his body from the chair and onto his knees before her. Bella's eyes danced with possibilities as he lowered his face to her feet and kissed them.

_Well, __look __at __that! __A __MAN __on __his __knees __works __for __me. __That__'__s __it __- __n__o __more __boys. __Ever._

"Present your list, Carlisle," Jane interjected. "He should have a list of limits – what he will do without any question, what he's tentative about, and what he refuses to do." Carlisle removed an electronic device from his pocket, touched the screen a few times, and held it up in his hands in supplication.

"How modern, Carlisle," Jane taunted. Turning to Bella, she continued. "Since you're new to doing scenes, you should read the list carefully before you start. If at any point during the evening he says "yellow," you check to see how he's doing. If he says "red," you just stop, no questions. Do you understand?"

Bella nodded as she took the device from Carlisle and scrolled through the list. Then she fretted, "I just don't know what he wants to do now…"

"He wants to do something to make you proud of him," Jane replied. "It has to be slightly challenging – you won't feel proud and he won't get a sense of accomplishment if it's too easy."

Bella snapped, "Obviously he got hard watching your pet get his ass toasted – can't I just do that?"

Jane snorted. "If it were me, I'd fuck his ass since it's been so long for him."

_Okay, __**that**__**'**__**s **__a bit __out __of __my __comfort __zone. __S__oooo __not __strapping __on __a __dick__…_

Jane continued her train of thought. "You don't have enough knowledge for that, though, so yes, I would recommend sticking to a good spanking." Jane held the paddle out to her. "He can take quite a few hits. His ass gets soooo nice and red."

Bella took the paddle from Jane's outstretched hand and handed over the electronic device. She tested the heft, tapping it into her free hand. Noticing Carlisle's ragged breathing, Bella began circling his body, trying to figure out just how to do what Jane had done.

"Do you golf?" Jane asked, seemingly apropos of nothing.

"Ummm, no."

"Play tennis?"

"No."

"Baseball?"

"Not at all."

"How am I supposed to tell you how to swing the paddle, then, woman?" Jane snarled. Jane moved behind Carlisle and motioned Bella to join her. "You're tall enough, you should have him stand." Jane wrapped her slender arms around Bella and showed her how to grip the paddle. Then she put a hand on one of Bella's hips and pushed. "To add some force to the blow, twist your hips into the swing. Not to start. After a few warm-ups." Bella nodded. "I'll be right here if you have questions," Jane assured her, then stepped back and took a seat in the chair Bella had occupied earlier.

Taking a deep breath to center herself, Bella said, "Stand up, Carlisle."

Carlisle stood quickly, eyes cast downward, hands by his side.

Bella sighed. "This will never do." Seeing Carlisle's shoulders slump, she purred, "You have on entirely too many clothes. Take them off."

Thus began the sexiest striptease Bella had ever had the good fortune to witness. Her brain drank in every line of his muscles as he bent, twisted, and flexed himself bare.

_I think I could get very used to making men strip for me…._

Bella looked at Jane, who sat in the chair with a blissed-out look on her face.

"He's got a gorgeous cock, doesn't he, Jane?"

Licking her lips, Jane nodded.

"I'm assuming you've done this a lot before, Jane. How many swings will I be able to do before my arms get too tired?"

"I can do twenty-five, but I lift weights every day. I'd go for between five and ten, if I were you."

"Is he like your pet? Does he come from being spanked?"

Jane shook her head. "Not for me, he hasn't."

_That__'__s __okay; __I __can __make __him __come __some __other __way. What to do, what to do?_

Bella grazed the paddle over his ass, then ran it down one of his legs. She could hear Carlisle's breath hitch.

"Five paddles, five minutes tops. That's not enough time with you. What can I do before then?" She moved the paddle up the inside of his leg, gently nudging his balls. She smiled as his body tensed. "Because you are going to come for us tonight, aren't you, Carlisle?"

Carlisle stood stock still and silent.

"Answer me when I ask you a question, Carlisle."

"Yes, I will come for you."

Bella resumed her pacing, circling Carlisle as she spoke. "You wanted me to learn how to challenge a man mentally and physically. I get how to challenge you physically, but what would mess with your mind?"

Jane smiled. "Good girl. You do that by looking at his soft limits list." She scrolled through the list, and then held it out for Bella.

Bella walked over to her and took the list, looking at the line Jane had highlighted. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

"I imagine it would be very difficult for such a sexual being. He probably couldn't do it too often."

Bella's eyes scanned the room. She flipped through the list again, sighing with pleasure when she found the entry she was looking for. Handing the device back to Jane, she went to stand in front of Carlisle, drawing herself up to her full height. "Go stand by the short side of your desk."

When Carlisle had moved away, Bella went to his discarded pants and removed the belt. Folding it with one hand and slapping the leather into the other, paddle under her arm, she slowly walked to where he stood, anxiously watching her approach. His eyes glinted as Bella set first the belt, then the paddle onto the chair in front of his desk. He tensed as she walked around him and relaxed his muscles in confusion as she ignored him, pulling the large red leather rolling chair from behind his desk to the short side opposite him. She continued her stroll, ending up behind him again, and placing her hand in the middle of his shoulder blades, she pushed him over his desk.

"Hands above your head."

He rushed to comply. She walked back to the long side of the desk and contemplated the view in front of her. Picking up the belt, she moved to his side. "Jane, I need help."

Jane appeared at her side immediately. "You want his arms bound safely?"

Bella nodded. Jane smiled and took the belt from Bella's hands, making quick work of tying Carlisle's wrists together. She checked and tugged the bindings, nodding in approval when she was finished. "It'll hold," she announced, returning to her previous seat.

Bella bent over Carlisle's prone form. "Do you know I noticed your beautiful desk when I waited in here the first day? It's a beautiful antique; gorgeous inlaid leather. How does it feel against your cock, Carlisle?"

He groaned, then answered, "Smooth. Cool."

"I'm sure you'll heat it right up, won't you?" Picking up the paddle, she placed it on his back, dragging it from his shoulders down to his ass. "You're going to come all over your beautiful desk, Carlisle. Then you're going to rub it all over the leather top of your desk, so that every time you sit at it, you'll think about how I made you come."

Carlisle's hips flexed, and he groaned.

"That's right; rub your cock all over your desk. Keep your cock good and hard for me. Just don't come until I say."

Carlisle closed his eyes as Bella positioned herself at that end of the desk. "You have such a pretty ass, Carlisle. It's almost as nice as your cock." Lifting the paddle, Bella searched out Jane, her eyebrows lifted.

Jane nodded. "Brace, Carlisle."

Bella watched as Carlisle widened his feet to shoulder-width and bent his knees to put his feet in better contact with the floor. Catching Jane's eyes again, she waited for Jane to nod her approval, and then swung the paddle into Carlisle. She jumped at the smack that sounded and dropped the paddle when Carlisle hissed.

_Oh fuck, I can't do this, oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck..._

Jane was at her side immediately, stroking her hair. "Thank the goddess, Carlisle."

"Thank you, goddess," he moaned in reply.

Jane returned the paddle to her hands and tightened her grip around the handle. "Two more, Carlisle. Show your appreciation." Then Jane stepped back, willing Bella to do it again. After a deep breath, she brought the paddle to his ass again.

"Thank you, goddess." This time, Bella could hear the strain in his voice.

Jane drew Bella's attention to Carlisle's hips, which were shimmying against the desk. Bella met Jane's eyes and lifted her eyebrows. Jane smiled and said, "If you want to dance, Carlisle, get on your toes for this last one."

Bella could see how fast his chest rose and fell, watched as his legs stretched and strained to follow Jane's commands. She licked her lips at the pinkness of his skin. Unable to help herself, Bella took her right hand off the paddle and reached out to stroke Carlisle's ass with her hand. He jumped in surprise as his mind took a moment to process the nature of her touch, then relaxed into her caress. Bella relished the heat his skin gave off.

Stepping back, Bella said, "One more." Getting into position, she tried to duplicate Jane's last swing into her pet, and closed her eyes in pleasure as Carlisle moaned, "Thank you, goddess."

Bella dropped the paddle to the floor and ran her hands from Carlisle's red ass up to his shoulders, pressing herself against the heated, tender skin of his backside as she pressed kisses up and down his spine. She could feel Carlisle twist and turn against the desktop and was pleased that he was doing as she asked.

Bella straightened, summoned her most feminine walk, and strutted to the other end of the desk, stopping in front of the red leather chair. "Look at me, Carlisle."

He drew his elbows in to his body and used them to lift up. When his attention was focused where she wanted it, she rested her hands on the sides of her thighs and slowly raised the hem of her sundress. "You like my innocent little dress, don't you, Carlisle?"

"Yes," he hissed.

When the hem had been raised high enough, Bella slid her hands under her skirt, pushed her underwear down her legs, stepped out of them, and leaned over carefully to pick them up off the floor. Then she dangled them off her fingers so that Carlisle could see that they were black lace.

"Has your cock leaked all over your desk, Carlisle?"

"Yes."

"Do you want my panties in your mouth, Carlisle?"

"Fuck, yes."

Bella sat them just in front of her on the desk. "Come get them, then. No hands – and keep your cock on the desk."

Bella's eyes glazed with lust as Carlisle scraped and scooted over his desk. She could see the sweat rise on his back from his effort. As his mouth closed in on her panties, she leaned down to him. "You stay spread out on your desk, just like that. Keep your cock hard for me."

Bella lifted the sides of her skirt again. "My pussy is a still a little sore from last night, Carlisle. I'm hoping that your cool leather chair will help ease the ache."

Carlisle groaned loudly as she lifted the back of her skirt, draping it in a manner that her naked backside sat on his chair, and yet her pussy remained completely covered. Bella lifted her feet over the arms of Carlisle's chair and sighed in pleasure.

"The leather feels so good against my naked pussy, Carlisle. How does the leather feel against your cock?"

Unable to respond due to her panties in his mouth, he groaned loudly in response.

"You know, I had so many orgasms last night, I feel like I can actually sense the air hitting my pussy. I wonder how sensitive it is to the touch?"

Bella watched as Carlisle's hips rocked against the desk, his eyes trained on the material covering her pussy. She slid her hand underneath her skirt, and made a point of rubbing her hands down the front of her thighs. "Ummm… feels good." Allowing her fingers to pop out from underneath her dress and wrap around her knees, she then moved her hands to her inner thighs and slowly dragged them up her legs. "Oooh, yeah, that's a bit sore, but it's nothing a bit of a massage won't cure." She made large movements with her hands, causing the material of her skirt to shift.

Carlisle's movements changed from lightly rocking to sharply snapping his hips, grunting around her panties as he watched her caress herself. She withdrew one hand to help her keep her balance, and she moved the other hand to the spot where Carlisle's entire attention was focused.

Bella hissed at the touch of her own hand. "Oh, sooo sensitive." Her hips shifted in reaction to the gentle swipe of her hand. "Your face and chest are red. Is that what you would call a 'sex flush,' Professor?"

With his deep ocean blue eyes glued to her cloth-covered hand, he nodded.

"Are you close, Carlisle?"

He nodded again. Bella looked over to see Jane completely engaged in what she and Carlisle were doing, and felt confident Jane would play along with her next statement.

"You have to hold out for sixty seconds. Then you can come. Jane will count for you." Looking to Jane, she saw the diminutive woman fiddle with Carlisle's device, and then nod at her. "Your time starts now."

As Jane began to count down in the background, Bella made quite a show of lifting her skirt until her pussy was nearly exposed, then inserted two fingers into her pussy, causing her to whimper at the tenderness she found there. She then extracted her wet fingers and held them out for Carlisle to see. Dropping her feet to the floor so she could lean forward, she grabbed the hair at the back of his head with her other hand, and leaned forward to hiss quietly, "Do you see what you do to me, Carlisle? You're so damn sexy, and I'm so wet for you. Drop my panties on the desk, Professor."

He dropped them immediately, licking his lips as he stared at her moist fingers. Jane's countdown hit forty seconds as Bella brought her fingers to Carlisle's face. "Lick them, Carlisle."

He lurched for her fingers, wrapping his lips and tongue around them and sucking greedily. She removed her fingers from his mouth and put them back under her skirt.

"Why don't you come for me now, Carlisle? Let me watch you come all over your desk. Your face is so beautiful when you come, Professor. "

Carlisle's breathing increased dramatically, and on each exhale, she could hear him mumble "wait, wait wait". He wanted her to challenge men? She would challenge the shit out of him. Jane reached twenty-five seconds on her countdown.

"If you come now, Carlisle, you can have my fingers back in your mouth. Just come now. Come on, baby, come for me. Now, Carlisle."

Carlisle slammed his eyes closed, hips jerking in a broken rhythm, his chant getting more strident as the count got closer to zero. At ten seconds, Bella pulled out her last card, leaning in to growl in his ear, "I'm dying for you to fuck me, Carlisle. Fuck me fuck me fuck me…."

Jane counted the last five seconds loudly enough to be heard over Carlisle wailing "no no no" with abandon. As she hit zero, Carlisle changed his "no" to "yes" and, with a loud whimper, came all over his desk, arms and legs shaking with the effort to hold himself upright on the desk. His breaths sounded almost like sobs.

Placing her forehead on his, Bella ran her fingers through his hair. "Good job, Carlisle, Well done, Professor." Unbuckling the belt that held his wrists together, she cooed, "I'm so proud of you. But you're not done. Use my panties and wipe that come all over the leather on your desk. Work it in well."

Shaking from exhaustion, Carlisle climbed down off his desk and tested his wobbly legs. Bella could see the moment he steadied, and he quickly reached for Bella's black lace panties and proceeded to follow her orders, rubbing his ejaculate into the leather inlay on his desk. She felt a smile settle on her lips.

Bella felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to find Jane holding out a tube of liquid. "Aftercare is the dominant's responsibility. Rub this into his wrists and ass to help with the bruising. Check to be sure his skin is unbroken. I'll check to be sure his joints are okay. Then it will be your responsibility to see him to his room safely."

Bella nodded. "Thank you, Jane."

"You surprised me, goddess. That wasn't at all how I expected this evening to go."

Bella lowered her eyes, blushing slightly. "I surprised myself, to be honest."

"I don't think you have it in you to do this full time – you had to work too hard at it. But I'm glad I could give you a taste of it. Carlisle will give you my contact information when you leave if you'd like more lessons."

Bella's eyes lifted to catch Jane's. "I don't think I'll use it."

"You may change your mind." Jane smiled. "Now, I really should be getting my pet home for the night. Has Carlisle finished your scene?"

Bella looked to him, diligently wiping her panties over the leather of the desk, even though she could see no more liquid available to be absorbed. "Carlisle, you're done with the desk. Jane will check your joints for damage before she leaves."

As Jane moved to Carlisle, Bella turned and walked to the chair where Carlisle had removed his clothing, picking up his dress pants and slinging them over her arm. Walking back to the desk, she listened as Jane asked Carlisle questions as she moved his shoulders and pressed on his hips.

When she finished, she looked to Bella and said, "He's fine. No damage done. I'll see myself out."

Bella nodded in response. As Jane left the room, Bella put Carlisle's pants on his desk. Leaning against it, she said, "Show me your wrists." He presented them to her, turning them so that she could see all the way around them. She popped open the gel and applied it to his wrists gently as he stood quietly. "Now turn around. Hands on the desk." Bella took another dab of gel and rubbed her hands over the hot skin of his perfectly shaped ass.

_Do not moan. DO NOT MOAN._

When she'd finished, she clicked the tube closed and said, "Put on your pants. I can't take you back to your room naked. Pick up your other clothes; then I'll escort you back to your room. You'll have to lead, as I have no idea where it is."

Carlisle smiled slightly, then put on his pants and collected his other clothing and returned to her side. "Ready to go?" Bella asked brightly. Carlisle nodded, and headed out of his room and down the hall. Bella followed him through two right turns and a door with a keypad that he had to readjust the clothing in his hands to operate. Just inside the locked door, he stopped at a beautifully carved dark wood door.

Turning to face her, Carlisle spoke directly to her for the first time since the scene in his office ended. "Thank you for a most…unexpected…evening."

"Do I need to come in and care for you the way Aro took care of me?" Bella asked nervously.

"There's no need. This challenge was physically rather easy for me. I'll be just fine. Can you find your way back to your room?"

Bella nodded. "I can backtrack to your office. Then I'll know where I am. So… I guess this is goodnight?"

Carlisle managed to eke out a smile through his exhaustion as he opened his door slightly. "Goodnight, Bella."

Rising up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, she whispered, "Sleep well, Professor," and waited for the door to close before she headed back to her room.

After all, she had a thank you note or two to write.


	9. Pack Mentality

Chapter 9 - **Pack Mentality**

Bella sat in the dining room, enjoying the last of her coffee and the sunshine that streamed in from the windows. She smiled as Carlisle entered the room.

"Carlisle, why don't you join me?"

Pleased, he crossed the room and moved into the chair across from her.

"How are you feeling this morning, Professor? Sore?"

_Your ass can't be that red, Carlisle; you have no trouble sitting – perhaps I should have spanked you more? I'm sure Jane's pet can't sit down today..._

"Not at all. I want to thank you for your lovely note." Here he paused, concern flitting across his handsome features. "I'm uncertain how it ended up underneath my door, however. I didn't give you the code for the keypad, did I?"

Bella shook her head. "Your kitchen staff was very helpful," she answered. "I simply told them I owed you a card, and I didn't want to be late with it. They were very nice to help me out."

Carlisle hummed in reply. A pleasant silence fell over them as the server brought Carlisle a cup of coffee and asked if he wanted anything else. Carlisle responded negatively, and they were left alone again.

Bella took a deep breath. "So, what new experience do you have planned for me today?"

"Honestly, I'm having a difficult time deciding what to offer you," he replied cagily, fidgeting with his coffee cup. "I think you have two equally good options."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "Well, maybe I could be of some help. Why don't you tell me what the options are, and maybe I'll like the sound of one more than the other?"

Carlisle sat quietly for a moment, and then nodded. "All right. First, I thought you might be interested in exploring the possibility of being with another woman."

Bella sat, stunned. "Um – no." After a moment's thought, she continued. "Well, maybe if you'd said something earlier in the week, but my time here has strengthened my commitment to the Church of Cock."

Choking on his coffee at her crass honesty, Carlisle set his cup down and grabbed his napkin, eyes twinkling at her as he wiped stray drops off his chin.

"Besides, Alice and I did the whole drunken 'kiss your best friend to see if you could be more than best friends,' and it was a no-go. And if I won't turn lesbian for Alice Brandon, I don't think anyone else has a shot."

After clearing his throat several times, Carlisle continued. "Okay, then, the other option you could explore would be multiple men."

_Oh, you're all about the multiples, aren't you? Multiple orgasms, multiple men…_

Bella frowned, "Didn't I already do that with Aro and Alec?"

Carlisle shook his head. "No – Aro and Alec didn't…interact with you at the same time. One was watching the other the entire time, but they weren't…simultaneously engaged."

"And you're talking about having…simultaneous engagement?"

He nodded.

_Just where does he think all these "simultaneously engaged" dicks will be going?_

Bella sat for a moment, taking in this new possibility.

"What does the woman look like? Maybe I can change my mind…"

"She's a beautiful woman. A bit older than you – more my age…"

"Oh, because you're so old," Bella flirted.

Giving her a "now stop that" look, Carlisle pulled out his phone and pulled up his photos. She watched him flip through quite a few pictures before he turned the screen to her. "This is Esme. She runs a similar facility to this one; it's a bit closer to Las Vegas."

Bella smiled. "She's beautiful. Is there a third choice?"

"I do have an expert in pain play. I'm sure my friend Caius would be…"

"No, no, no, let's not go there. No other options, then?"

"Multiple men would be a natural progression in your exploration, based on your interest in close contact."

"Why do you say that?"

"From the beginning, you wanted to feel the skin of the men you were with. You were very attentive to your sense of touch the last two times we interacted. I'm simply suggesting you up the ratio of skin available for you to touch."

Bella sat quietly for a moment. "How many men are included in the term 'multiple'?"

Carlisle gave a half-smile. "You would negotiate everything from this point forward. I'm going to step back from this encounter."

Bella startled. "What? Why?"

"Bella, there are so many factors involved. There's a fluidity, a flexibility to multiple encounters that are better negotiated by the participants." Carlisle shifted focus. "Plus, in your very first card for me you stated as a goal the desire to be able to talk confidently about sex and about your desires. This gives you the opportunity to meet that goal."

_I knew that card would come back to bite me on the ass..._

"How can I be sure my wishes will be followed?"

Carlisle raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't set you up with people I didn't trust, Bella. I take my responsibilities very seriously."

"You trust these men?"

He nodded. "I do. I trained the leader myself."

"Okay." Bella replied. After a pause, she repeated, "Okay. When?"

"It's a nice day for a picnic. How about lunch?"

Bella released a deep breath. "Lunch it is, then."

* * *

><p>Bella smiled as Carlisle drove her past Felix's place near the bottom of the mountain. She wasn't sure the light vehicle was going to be able to handle the terrain as they continued upward, but she was surprised to find that the path was smooth and level. This was obviously a well-maintained road. As they reached the top, she took in the amazing view of the valley below.<p>

Picking at the new hiking clothes that Carlisle had provided for her – in addition to the layers of shirts she was fidgeting with, she also had on new lightweight long pants, thick socks, and hiking boots - Bella turned to Carlisle as he parked the car.

"All right. This is where you start." Turning to face her, he pointed to a cleared path leading into the tree line. "You're going to walk down this trail – it's an easy walk - for about a half a mile. You'll come across a very large, flat rock. It's the perfect place for a picnic. The men will find you."

Bella nodded tightly.

"If you find them to your liking, you can invite them to join you. At any point, if you get up and return on the path you walked in on, they will continue on their hike, and you will return to this car and drive back to the ranch. End of encounter."

_Orgius Interruptus. _ "Has that happened?"

"Once or twice. It can be overwhelming to face something considered taboo."

Bella nodded again. Carlisle exited the car, opened her door, and then headed for the trunk of the car. As he lifted the hatchback, he turned to face her and said somberly, "I would encourage you not to run from them."

"Why?"

His eyes bored into hers. "Running is a prearranged signal that you want to be chased down," he explained, keeping his eyes on hers to be sure his meaning was clear.

Bella's eyebrows rose. _Hell, that might be…stimulating, but I'd probably fall and break my leg._ "Got it. No running."

"Good." Opening the trunk, he continued. "Now, your backpack carries only a few things – lunch, canteen, change of clothes, basic toiletry items. The men have everything else you might need if you decide to stay for a while." Carlisle pulled a folded up bike out of the small car. "The car will be right here whenever you're ready to head back to the ranch. The keys are in the center console."

Bella took a deep breath. "I still don't have any details about…anything."

"The men have a leader; their spokesperson, if you will. He'll help you have the experience you want."

_Is he hot like you, Professor? 'Cause I'm looking for a "hot as Carlisle" experience…_

Exasperated, Bella huffed. "That's not much information to go on."

"You'll be fine, Bella." Unfolding his bike and pointing it down the mountain, he said, "I'll see you back at the ranch."

With another deep breath, she nodded. Hitching the backpack into place, she turned to face the trail. Looking over her shoulder, she teased, "Aren't you going to tell me to have a good time?"

Carlisle smiled. "I'm sure it will be a pleasant experience for you."

Bella smiled in return, and then headed into the trees.

* * *

><p>Noticing the trail was well-marked, flat, and even, Bella turned her attention to her surroundings; the light dappling through the leaves, the cool-but-not-cold breeze, and the whisper of the wind as it stirred the trees. It didn't take long for Bella to find the flat rock Carlisle had mentioned – it was as large as a car, bathed in sunlight, and had an amazing view of the valley. She happily climbed up on the rock, sat her backpack down to her right, and retrieved a collapsible case carrying her lunch. Noticing the warmth she felt from both the sun and the rock itself, she removed a couple of layers of shirts she'd put on in the morning and used them to provide padding as she sat on the rock. She leaned back in her camisole top, greedily taking in the sunshine, letting it bathe her in light and warmth and comfort.<p>

After a while – she hadn't worn a watch or brought a phone, so she had no idea how much time has passed – she heard the rustling sound of people moving through the trees. As her breathing began to deepen, time seemed to bend. What felt like seconds and hours passed, and then she heard what seemed to be several men talking in short bursts back and forth. Her heart began to pound as she contemplated what was about to happen.

_Fuck, I want this. How many are there? It sounds like more than two. Three? Oh, God, are there more than three?_

Bella could feel the arms she was using for support start to shake as the men began appearing in the clearing. The first man was quite thin, and younger than she expected; she hoped he was the youngest. Three more follow behind closely, two a bit older than the first; one tall and wiry, the other even taller, with a pronounced musculature and long black hair. When she saw the final man, Bella decided he had a more mature feel about him. He stood tallest of all the men, and his muscles bulged as he wrestled the large backpack he was carrying off his shoulders. She also noticed that each of the men was handsome, seemed to share an affinity for khakis and t-shirts, and appeared very tan; some of them even looked to be Native American to her eyes.

"Well, what do we have here?" one of them asked. Bella had her eyes focused on the man she'd pegged as the leader. All she knew was that he hadn't asked the question.

Bella leaned back and lifted her face to the sun – she might as well transmit her intention not to run from them immediately.

_No running today, guys - I'm ready and willing - let's find out if I'm able!_

"We don't normally see beautiful women out on the trail this time of year…" There were no smiles – they were patiently waiting to see how she wanted this encounter to go.

Bella smiled. "The sun was just too beautiful to pass up." Her eyes roamed over the men. She viscerally felt every twitch, every shift of weight. Their arousal was palpable.

Desire flooded her. She could have all of these gloriously sexy men, just as she wanted them. Not only that, they'd been trained to please her. She could have an encounter the likes of which very few other women had ever experienced. All she had to do was take what was being offered to her. Did she want it?

She could almost feel the blood speeding through her veins. _Hell, yes, I want it! Send up the bat-signal!_

Turning her face back up to the sun, she took a deep breath and said, "It's so beautiful today. Why don't you guys stop for a while and join me?"

The older man, the one Bella had already guessed to be the leader of the group, began moving toward her, carrying something that looked to be a cross between a sleeping bag and a yoga mat. She mentally salivated at his tight black t-shirt and loose khaki cargo pants.

_Oh, yeah, come to Momma, sexy thing…_

He walked right up to the edge of the rock Bella was sunning herself on. When he stopped, she turned to face him. "Are you sure you don't mind us joining you?" he asked, seeking confirmation of her desire to continue.

"I'm sure." Holding out a hand, she continued, "I'm Bella."

"Sam," he replied. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

Smiling, Bella shook her head. "Not at all."

Bella breathed deeply as the man stepped up onto the rock. His easy smile eased the spike of adrenaline that had her ready to flee at a moment's notice. He moved to her left side, just behind her shoulder, and made quick work of putting down his thick mat and settling in behind her.

Bella could feel the tension ratchet up a notch as his deep voice sounded in her left ear. "Have you done this before, Bella?"

"Had a picnic?" she teased, trying to ease her own anxiety.

His tone remained steady. "Had more than one man at a time?"

She turned to look him in the eye. "No."

"We won't hurt you," he soothed. "I understand you met Felix. We share a similar philosophy; it's about spiritual communion for us – more people provide more spirituality to commune with."

_Well, any friend of Felix's is a friend of mine…_

After a few moments, he continued. "How would you like this to go, Bella?"

She lowered her head. "I have no clue how I want this to go."

"Well, do you feel physically attracted to anyone?"

Bella turned her eyes to the other men in the clearing. The first one she came upon was the younger man, who seemed to be randomly pulling things out of his backpack and shoving them back in just as randomly.

"That's Seth. He's the youngest, has the eagerness of youth. He's a very gentle soul and is easily led. He very much enjoys being part of something bigger than himself."

Her eyes flitted to the next man over, who had also removed his backpack and was now removing what looked to Bella to be trail mix from an outside pocket.

Sam continued his introductions. "Paul is a bit of a hot head. He's very confident, very creative sexually, and has no trouble doing anything you ask – the kinkier, the better, as far as he's concerned. He's the guy you want if you want to let things happen, if you just want to go along for the ride. He likes the attention the group provides him."

Bella finally turned her eyes to the tallest man, who had removed his shirt and was now throwing water bottles to the other men in the group. His long black hair shone in the sunlight, and Bella had a sudden urge to tangle her fingers in it and never let go. She swallowed reflexively as he guzzled an entire bottle of water at once.

"And that's Jake. He's very passionate and has a very big heart. He's a very considerate lover and lives to bring pleasure to anyone who wants to share it with him."

Bella turned her head to Sam. "What about you?"

"I went through the training first, organized the group. I balance all the others. The others defer to me, so I guess I'm seen at the leader. I try to be fair to everyone so that everyone is happy." He turned to face her. "That's important for us, that everyone leaves happy."

Bella acknowledged his comment with a nod, and then looked back at the men scattered about. Her gaze roamed over the displayed muscles of the tall man with long hair. "I like the guy with the long hair - you said his name was Jake?"

Sam hummed in agreement then called out, "Jake, why don't you join us?"

As Jake moved toward the two of them, Sam brushed Bella's hair off her left shoulder and placed a kiss on the warmed skin he'd uncovered. "All you have to do is say what you want, Bella, and I'll make sure it happens. Okay?"

Speechless, Bella nodded. As Jake sauntered over to her, she sucked in air, trying to calm her shaking body, trying to approach her desires with a level of maturity; but she was failing.

_I want him, I want to suck him, I want to fuck him…_

Jake hopped up onto the rock easily, quickly made his way to her right side, and smoothly folded himself into a seated position, leaning on the arm closest to her. "Hi, Bella, I'm Jake."

Bella felt as if she had a magnet inside her, pulling her to the man in front of her. She could feel herself swaying closer to him, lifting her chin to encourage his advances. "Hi, Jake," she breathed, "I'm Be…"

Before she'd even finished her name, his mouth dropped to hers, claiming it. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and then slid up the sides of his neck, fingers dancing in his long, silky hair. Moaning, she pulled him to her, wanting to feel the heat of his body pressed to hers.

Bella felt her thin top being lifted from the back. She'd put on so many layers this morning, she'd decided to forego a bra, and at this exact moment she was delighted with that decision, as both the man in front of her and the man behind groaned in appreciation. She felt Sam moving his legs, placing one on either side of her, pressing his bare torso to her back, kissing along the left side of her neck. She leaned back into Sam and tilted her head away so that he could reach more of her neck as Jake moved forward, letting his hair tease her nipples. Her breath hitched as her body sparked with arousal.

Heat started rushing through her body as Jake's mouth returned to hers, his hair brushing along the skin of her belly and arm. She wrapped her right arm around him to keep him in place, and let her left hand drift to cover Sam's hand, fondling her left breast. As his thumb flicked over the tip, Bella's back arched, and her mouth left Jake's so that she could gasp in pleasure. When she turned to her left to look at Sam, she noticed a shirtless, eager young Seth kneeling to the left of her feet, his eyes glued to her breasts.

As Jake began methodically covering the right side of her neck in kisses, she held her left hand out for the youngest of the men. "It's Seth, right?"

He nodded.

"Why don't you join us?" Bella asked.

Seth quickly gathered himself to her left side, pressing a quick kiss to her mouth before paying homage to her left breast. As she wrapped an arm around Seth's shoulders and began stroking his warm skin, Bella could feel Sam behind her, his breaths blowing hotly into her ear. His still-clothed hardness pressed into the base of her spine as he unfastened her pants, pushing them down as far as he could before Jake took over, pulling them the rest of the way off her feet. As he returned to her side, she noticed the bulge in Jake's pants.

_Holy hell! What in the world is he hiding in there? A baseball bat?_

Bella's attention was drawn from the men attending to her by a motion at the edge of the clearing. The remaining man stood there, quietly pacing back and forth. Bella had a difficult time looking away from his intense stare.

"Why the hell is he just standing there watching?" she grumbled to no one in particular.

Sam growled into her neck as he answered, "He won't be standing there long." Bella felt the men on either side of her shuffle so that they mirrored each other; leaning on one arm, pressed up against her side, bottom legs underneath hers, top legs entwined and hooked around her ankles. Jake and Seth allowed their hands and mouths to wander along her torso at will. Bella leaned her head back against Sam's shoulder and asked, "What is he waiting for?"

Bella could feel Sam's cheek lift into a smile. "Paul's waiting for me to give him a signal, Bella. Are you ready?"

_Fuck, YES!_ "Can you really be ready for this the first time?"

"Probably not," Sam agreed. "I'm going to give him the signal to begin, okay?"

Bella moaned in response to Seth's gentle kitten-like licks of her nipple and pressed her forehead to Sam's neck. With her eyes on the one man that wasn't touching her, she shakily responded, "Okay."

Bella didn't see the signal Sam sent Paul, but she did see Paul's response. He stopped pacing and began stalking toward her, power radiating from his taut muscles. The pure lust shining in his eyes caused Bella's hips to flex, and she felt the legs entwined with hers wrap a bit tighter. As Paul approached the rock, he balanced his weight on his hands and knees, dragging his mouth up the interior of her left leg as he crawled up her body. Paul looked directly into Bella's eyes as his mouth closed on her clit, causing her hips to involuntarily snap back to avoid the intense sensation. As her ass ground into Sam's cock, Bella groaned, flexed her hips side to side, and began to understand just how overwhelming this experience was going to be for her.

_Just deliver my ashes back to the ranch, would you, guys?_

Paul lifted his head and stared into her eyes. "You have such a pretty pink pussy. I'm going to enjoy making you come." And with that proclamation, he lowered his face and began pleasing her in earnest. With four men touching her, skin sliding on skin, their heat rolling into her, Bella felt herself climbing higher.

Bella watched Paul please her, and then realized she wanted eye contact. Pulling sharply on Jake's long hair, she commanded, "Look at me."

Lifting his head, he followed her direction, even as his hand continued to roam her body. "Do you like Paul's mouth, Bella? He gets lots of compliments on it..."

At that exact moment, Paul changed his motion, causing a lightning bolt of energy to zip through her. "A...maz...ing..."

She couldn't keep track of all the stroking and nipping and sucking and licking that was going on and was soon right at the edge, ready to fall over. But it wasn't until Seth and Jake angled back slightly, brought their hands under her legs, and slid their fingers into her that she was thrown right off the cliff, screaming the whole way down. When she finally landed on the ground below and was able to breathe again, Paul kissed his way up her body and pressed his Bella-scented mouth to hers. She licked at his mouth greedily, wanting to capture as much of her own taste as possible.

Bella noticed some shifting on her left side as Paul moved to her right side, taking Jake's place. The very instant she noticed that Sam was on her left side instead of behind her, she also noticed that Seth was now naked and kneeling between her legs. He bent slightly to get an arm underneath her hips, and then lifted her so that she was more in line with his cock. As he slowly glided into her, her back bowed, and she could feel two hands cupping the back of her head so that she didn't slam it into the rock below her.

"Oh, yes, yes...so good, don't stop..."

Grabbing Sam's hair, she pressed her mouth to his, tilting her head to find the most amount of access for her tongue. He stroked her belly as Paul lavished her breasts with attention from his hands and mouth. She went from stroking to scratching the hell out of Paul's back in reaction to the intense pleasure he provided her. Bella's first orgasm had left her so aroused that it took no time at all for Seth to bring her back to that fine edge between "almost" and "already."

Bella knew she was close, and she could tell Seth was just as close as she was because his thrusts lost rhythm. She realized she'd lost all track of Jake until just that moment as she watched him lean over to kiss Seth deeply. As Jake kissed his way down Seth's chest, his long hair caused fire to lick across the skin it brushed. Bella gasped as Jake's mouth lowered to where she was joined with Seth. She lifted her head so she could see his tongue laving both Seth's cock and her clit. When Jake turned his full attention to her clit and sucked it, humming, she could feel her entire body go rigid as her orgasm slammed into her, causing her to do a backbend the likes of which she hadn't done since she was in tumbling class as a child.

_Oh, holy mother of fornication…_

When she came to, gasping for air, she could feel hands massaging her temples, other hands making soothing strokes down her back, and still more hands rubbing circles into the large muscles of her thighs. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find she was straddling Jake's naked body, her legs wrapped around his back and his cock cutting a wet path across her belly. He kissed her deeply, wetly, and she began to squirm against him. She felt him position himself to enter her and groaned as he helped her slide smoothly down his body and onto his cock until he was situated deep within her.

"Fuck…good…" she gasped. It seemed to be as much as she was able to string together verbally.

"Gonna get so much better," Jake replied, then lifted his ass off his feet and pushed his hips up into Bella, impaling her on his cock. Her body clenched in response to his movement, and Bella threw her head back as she felt the coil of arousal tighten again quickly. Hands quickly provided assistance to help her not lean too far backward, keeping her in place for the deep fucking Jake was providing. She could feel the electricity running from the men into her, through her. She felt a part of something much bigger than herself, and she understood why someone would want to participate in something like this even if others said it was wrong.

_It sure as hell doesn't FEEL wrong…_

Suddenly, Jake stopped his movements, and in addition to all the other sensations the men were evoking, Bella felt a hand smooth down her back, over her ass, and forward. Bella assumed that the fingers were joining Jake's cock inside her, so she was stunned when the hand stopped just behind that area, and began tracing circles around a place she didn't even allow her waxer to go. Sam breathed hotly, "Have you been taken here?" Her hand flew from around Jake's shoulders to grab at the offending hand. Calmly, she moved the hand away from its exploration and stated emphatically, "No."

Bella could hardly concentrate as hands continued to stroke, massage and fondle other parts of her body while Jake rolled his hips, sending sparks throughout her system. Sam continued, "It's a very intense feeling, beautiful. Since you haven't, I'd only use one finger…and you'd find out just how amazing it is…"

Fear of this unknown caused her limbs to shake. "What if it…hurts?"

"Say the word and it's over, Bella." Sam vowed. "I know how to make it feel good, I promise…"

With a shuddering breath, she nodded. Jake adjusted his hold on her legs and lifted his hips again, and as he reached his highest point, he fastened his mouth to hers. As his tongue danced into her mouth, she felt him pulsing his hips back and forth, turning the sparks that had been fanned earlier into a widespread conflagration. Bella felt as if the moans she emitted were originating right where Jake's cock was hitting inside of her. She could feel sweat beading up on her skin, making her sensitive to the slightest breeze, the deepest breath that fell across it. She felt a warm, slick, wet pressure from Sam's finger as Jake pressed upward again, and within seconds, she felt the breach. The resulting explosion of sensation caused her to scream in incoherent pleasure.

"Fuck, yes, beautiful, let us know how much you like that…" Sam hissed in her ear.

Burning inside and out, Bella tried to escape, but neither forward nor backward movement offered her any relief. The fire licked at her, made it difficult for her to breathe…

In just a few synchronized pumps of Jake's hips and Sam's finger, Bella was devoured by the flames. A few more, and she could feel Jake release into her, his face a picture of peace and pleasure.

Jake continued his warm assault on her mouth as she shook through the aftermath of their joining. Sam kissed droplets of moisture from her neck and licked his way across her shoulder blades. Bella felt drunk and alert and present and disconnected – they all met and melded within her, just as the men had. As Jake left her body, she could feel him move her legs, repositioning her onto her knees in front of him, with her legs on either side of Sam's, who was kneeling directly behind her. Jake pressed his forehead to hers, saying, "Thank you for sharing yourself with me," and with a final peck, he moved to the side, leaving the space in front of Bella bare. She shivered as the air caressed her bare chest and wet pussy.

Sam's arms wrapped around her, his chest pressed tightly to her back. "One more, Bella. I know you can handle it, so I'm not going to make it too sweet. You understand?"

Bella nodded.

With his right arm moving to her hip and pulling her against his stiff cock, his left arm moved from around her waist and caught the hair from her right shoulder and pulled it so that all of it hung over her left breast. His hand took a side trip to her breast, plucking and soothing; it then danced across her skin, landing in between her shoulder blades and pushing her slowly forward into a bow. She caught herself on her hands.

"Does this position bother you, beautiful?" Sam asked.

"N…no." She breathed heavily. "Not bothered." Her breath fluttered as Sam's hand slowly dragged down her spine. She felt his cock brush between her legs then steadily press into her. Toes and fingers clenched in response. She could feel every point of contact they shared as if a pure live wire was touching her body.

Then he began to slowly pull, push, pull. She felt her arms and calves tighten even further. A pair of lips began dragging up and down her spine, as two warm hands tried to soothe the thick tension in her leg muscles.

"Easy, now, Bella, let us help you relax…" Seth's voice begged hotly in her ear. "We only want to please you. Let us do that for you."

_Plenty pleased, young one. May combust if there's much more pleasing…_

Hips slammed into hers, causing her to yelp in surprise. She could feel Sam's hands on her hips pulling her back onto his cock, his thumbs pressing into the middle of her back causing her to angle her hips downward. With his next thrust, Bella threw her head back, eyes scrunched closed, a silent scream on her lips.

_Fuck, yes, fuck fuck fuck…_

"Tell us how you feel, Bella...Do you like what Sam's doing to you?" Seth spoke again.

"Fuck, yes, fuck...fuck...fuck..." Bella chanted. Hearing Sam's moan and the wet slap of their joining revved up Bella's desire. "Har...harder...God...harder!"

Sam's growl sent shivers through her. The grip on her hips tightened, and the force of his thrusts increased until Bella could hardly hold herself upright.

A hand landed on her clit, rubbing the nerves into overdrive. As she came, Bella's entire body jerked forward, and her arms gave out. Only an arm thrown under her torso at the last minute prevented her from landing on the rock face first. As something soft was quickly shoved under her before she collapsed completely, she felt movement behind her, noticed that arms appeared in her line of sight from behind her. Some small part of her brain recognized them as Sam's. He leaned over her, his sweat-slicked skin sliding against hers, his thrusts slowing greatly, his breath bellowing into her ear.

After what seemed like hours, Sam finally moaned deeply and released into her; she was gratified by his instant collapse onto her back.

_Are you worn out, Sam? Me, too. Feels good, doesn't it?_

Bella could feel lips descend all over her body: ears, neck, shoulders, hands, calves, the bottoms of her feet. With Sam's weight on her, she couldn't lift her head to acknowledge it, so she simply let them press their reverence into her skin without comment.

* * *

><p>Bella noted while she dressed that they'd obviously had experience with outdoor sex, as things were provided to her before she even thought to ask for them – water, wet wipes, an antibiotic cream for the small scrape on her knee when it fell off the padding, a substantial something to eat, a six-pack of ale. The men dressed faster than she had and were quickly cleaning up the site, which left Bella with the impression that the next person that came along the path would have no idea anything had happened here.<p>

Bella noticed the endorphin let-down begin and sighed. "I'd best be headed back. That was an amazing experience, but it made me pretty sleepy. I don't want to be too tired to make it back down the mountain."

Paul spoke up from across the clearing, where he was repacking. "Why don't you let me give you a piggy-back ride back to the car," he said. "Don't want you going off alone."

Bella zipped up her own pack. "Sounds good. Thanks." Standing, she stretched, pleased at the soreness she could already feel settling in. Looking around, Bella noticed that all of the men were avoiding looking at her eyes, as if letting her decide if she wanted more contact. "Hey, now, I want a kiss from all of you before I go," she scolded. Seth was the first to look up at her and bounce to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving her a short but powerfully hard kiss. Jake sidled up next, wrapping Bella in a full-body hug and placing warm wet kisses along her jaw, followed by a small peck on her lips. As he released her and moved away, Sam stepped forward. His hands smoothed up her arms to either side of her neck as his tongue explored her mouth. Bella lost her equilibrium and clung to him for balance. As he finished his deep kiss, he held onto her arms until she stopped swaying.

Since he was the farthest from her, Paul came up to get his kiss last. Dropping his backpack to the side, he pulled her in close, pressing his chest to hers, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her while he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling and scraping it with his teeth. As he sat her down, Bella reveled in the fact that Paul's cock was hard and pressing into her belly, and then realized he hadn't been inside her like the others. He'd pleased her, but she hadn't pleased him. Sam's earlier words flew into her mind as she broke the kiss with Paul.

Putting her mouth to his ear, she whispered, "Sam said you liked being watched - is that true?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Paul nodded.

Bella lowered a hand to his tented pants. "This week I learned lots of things about myself. In addition to liking being watched, I learned the proper way to suck a cock. Would you like me to show you?"

Paul swallowed deeply. "I would love for you to show me," he rasped.

Bella stepped back just enough so that she could unfasten his pants and shove them down his hips. "I want the rest of them to watch us," she said loudly enough for her voice to carry. Then she peeled off his shirt and threw it somewhere behind her.

His eyes darted around the clearing to be sure Bella had been heard. "I don't think they'll be able to look away, beautiful."

Kissing her way down his chest, she removed her shirt, bunched it up, and threw it under her knees as she knelt in front of him. Dragging his pants down as far as they would go, she sighed.

"You have such a beautiful cock, Paul." Bella looked up at him. "I'm going to enjoy this very much." She noted that Paul's eyes flickered around to verify the other men were watching before returning to her face.

_Oh, I'm going to put on quite a show for you, baby, don't worry..._

"Not as much as I will..." he groaned as her mouth closed over him. She pressed her breasts into the front of his thighs and ran her fingers up the back of his legs, finishing by digging into his gluteus muscles. His hands threaded into her hair, lifting it up off her neck, although he made no attempt to direct her movements.

As she slid her mouth down the right side of Paul's cock, she heard a voice to her left whisper, "Damn..." Bella looked over to see Seth watching her intently. "So beautiful..."

"Looks...good?" Paul asked. Bella licked the other side of his cock so she could show off to Sam and Jake, both to her right.

"You should see how beautiful her mouth looks on your dick, Paul," Sam enthused.

"Feel...it..." Paul bit out.

Bella noticed that when she scraped her teeth lightly up Paul's cock, his hands tightened and his head fell back, his face turned up to the sky. He needed to reset his feet in order not to fall backward.

"Yessss..." he hissed.

She stopped momentarily. "Did you like that?" she asked.

He pulled her mouth back to his cock. "Don't stop, God, please..."

Smiling, she continued her ministrations, reveling in every moan and hiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake stand and move behind Paul, wrapping his arms around his chest, helping Paul keep upright as she pushed him higher into the stratosphere. When she felt Paul gently push and pull her head to the rhythm he wanted, she knew he was close.

"Gonna...come..." he warned her. "So...fucking...good."

Bella looked up into his eyes and increased the power of her suck, humming in pleasure at the thought that she was going to make him come. His pleased grunts turned into one long groan as he let go, her mouth flooding with his warmth. He sagged into Jake's hold for a moment, and then gently pushed Jake's arms aside so he could kneel. Paul kissed Bella deeply, arms encircling her and tongue probing and swirling his appreciation.

"Thank you, beautiful."

"You're welcome," she replied, rubbing his back. "I'm glad you're happy."

"Let me get cleaned up, and I'll get you back to the car," Paul offered.

"I'm sure someone else cou-"

"I want to do it. Please."

Bella nodded. He turned and sat, pulling his pants up to the tops of his thighs, then standing and finishing the job. Bella stood and threw on her way-beyond–wrinkled shirt as Paul fastened his belt, then half-knelt in front of her.

"Hop on," he encouraged. Bella nodded, threading her arms through the small backpack Carlisle had sent with her, and then she settled herself on his back for the not-too-short hike back to the car. Paul said not one word about the effort it took to carry her, and she was too blissed out to ask about his comfort.

As they reached the car, Paul opened up the passenger's side door and let Bella slide down his back. Turning to brace her from collapse, he eased her onto the seat. Retrieving her backpack, he pushed it into the back seat and returned to her door to help her move her leaden legs into the car, pressing a kiss to her lips before shutting the door, rounding the front of the car, and sitting in the driver's seat. He silently drove her down the mountain, returning her to her section of the ranch without incident.

* * *

><p>After a long soak in the whirlpool bath, Bella wrapped herself in a robe and sat down at the desk with the room service order she'd placed and the cards Carlisle wanted her to fill out on her experience. She couldn't seem to get anything written down. Looking at the four cards with four different pictures of four different men, Bella realized she didn't see the experience as four different encounters. It was one large encounter for her; she couldn't pull it out into separate events.<p>

Once she realized why she'd been having difficulty, it was easy to fix. She took several pages of full-sized stationery out of the desk, and wrote all of her thoughts and feelings on her afternoon; on the energy, and the heat, and the closeness – how she better understood the connectedness to the universe Felix tried to describe to her, better understood that her desires were powerful, and she didn't feel wrong when following them, even if they were unconventional. Once she was finished, she gathered the pages in her hands, tapped the edges on the desk to straighten them, folded them neatly and placed them in an envelope with the blank cards Carlisle had sent.

Releasing that obligation with a deep sigh of pleasure, she padded over to the bed and crawled in for a good night's sleep.


	10. Rough Rider

Chapter 10 – **Rough Rider**

Bella entered the sun-lit dining room and stopped short.

_Well, this is a harsh reality._

She'd walked into the small, private dining room to find Carlisle, just as she'd expected. She wanted to tell him about the power she'd felt yesterday with all of those men focused solely on her. How much she'd liked knowing they were all aroused by her, that all shared satisfaction with her – she was starting to like the sense of power her sexuality provided her. But she couldn't.

Carlisle was at their usual table, and the table next to him was also full.

Four women sat, quietly sipping coffee.

_What the HELL does he think I'm going to be doing today?_

Carlisle looked up then and saw her.

"Bella! You're here…good. Now we can get started."

"Just what the hell do you have on the agenda for today, Professor?" she challenged, ready to object to his plans for the day.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Carlisle smiled pleasantly. "You're spending your last full day here having a spa day."

Bella stared at him. "Is that code or something?"

"No, Bella, it means you're having a spa day." He picked up the note card sitting next to him, and Bella recognized her own handwriting. "When I asked you what you wanted out of your time here, Bella, you said you wanted to 'turn heads,' be 'alluring,' be a 'vixen'; these women are here to help you do that. Think of it as scrubbing away the old, shy, weak, less confident Bella, the one who waits around for things and wonders why they don't come to her."

Bella thought on what he said then eyed the women suspiciously as they chatted quietly over coffee. "I suppose they'll do," she huffed.

He chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry you're displeased. These women take care of Alice when she stays here. They're the best."

Bella sighed deeply. "So that's how this ends? Four women and a spa day?"

_I'd rather have four men and a hot tub. Are the guys from yesterday available?_

Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "That's the last of your planned interactions, yes. You don't leave until tomorrow morning. After the women are done, your time is your own. I'm at your disposal to arrange any sort of encounter you'd like or to arrange an evening with any of the men you'd like. Simply ask, and it's yours."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "Anything?"

Carlisle nodded.

Bella sat back. "Well, let's get this spa day started, then."

* * *

><p>Seven hours. The four women had plucked, prodded, buffed, polished, massaged, and tortured her for seven hours. She couldn't believe that women voluntarily paid good money to have this happen to them on a regular basis. She barely put up with the waxing appointment Alice always dragged her along to, much less seven HOURS of this…enforced beautification.<p>

But looking in the mirror back in her room, she did have to admit she looked good. They'd cut her hair into long layers and piled it on top of her head. They'd made her eyes look even bigger than they already were. They painted her finger and toenails a fire engine red. And her skin seemed to glow from within.

But it was what was in her eyes that really stunned Bella. She remembered phrases from her first card, the one Carlisle had shown her at breakfast, thinking of the words she'd written nearly a week ago.

…_I want to know what turns me on..._

…_I want to know what turns men on…_

…_I want to be less nervous and find the confident woman inside of me… _

…_I want men to see me. I want to turn heads, be a tease…_

…_I want to be alluring. I want to be a vixen…_

They'd fixed the outside of her – she did look alluring, like a vixen. But it was the confidence in her eyes that stunned her. She knew enough now – about her own likes, her own desires, and she was convinced that she could please a man. The power that knowledge gave her coursed through her.

Taking off the robe she'd been shoved into while the women worked on her, Bella stood in her plain white panties and flipped through her laundered clothes until she came upon her white lace eyelet sundress. It screamed innocence. Before, it just made her look young. Now, it would make a nice contrast to the mature look she was sporting. After she put on her flats, she laughed at the picture she made – sophisticated hair and makeup, little girl clothes.

_I'm gonna blow someone's stack in this outfit, for sure._

Strolling from her room, she headed to the dining room, eagerly looking for Carlisle to show him her new, improved look. When she didn't find him there, she sauntered down the hall to his office.

Knocking on the open door, she peeked inside. While it looked as if he'd had been there recently, he wasn't there now. Her eyes flashed over to the chair Carlisle sat in during Jane's demonstration, and his red leather desk chair brought a flush to her cheeks.

Running a hand along the top edge of his antique desk as she circled it, she smiled at the emptiness of it. There was evidence that he was using his credenza as his desktop for the time being.

_How much did you enjoy my challenge, Carlisle? What do you feel when you look at this desk now?_

Too hyped up to wait for him to return, Bella checked the few other rooms available to her. Nothing. Frustrated, she decided to head back to her room and see if she could reach him by phone. Her decision made, she turned and headed for her room, only to stop after a few strides.

The car. Surely it was still outside? She walked briskly for the entry door and saw the car parked under the carport, just as it had been left the night before when Paul had driven her back from her very strenuous…hike. After finding the keys in the center console, she adjusted the seat and the mirrors and drove away from the ranch as quickly as the car would go.

She was halfway to nowhere when she realized she didn't know the way off the property, much less where to go after she found her way to the main road. Foiled, she took in her surroundings. Seeing a corral with horses off in the distance to her left, she made a quick decision and wrenched the car in that direction.

As she got closer, she noticed the barn off to one side, men and cars and horses moving about it in a knowledgeable dance. She pulled the car up to the least-busy side of the barn and took in all of the men moving past her windshield.

_Fuckin' hell, it's like a movie of maleness. _

She noticed strong shoulders, long legs, powerful thighs, flat stomachs, muscled arms…she'd never seen men quite this way, as individual pieces and parts to be admired. Was it wrong to objectify the men walking by her? Was this how she'd see men from now on, as components that fired her libido? She wasn't sure she liked that.

She needed to stop ogling the men walking by and get out of the car. After extricating herself from the little car without too much difficulty, she headed for the large open doors in the middle.

A man leaving the barn was headed away from her but turned her way the second he caught her out of the corner of his eye. He looked like he belonged there: dark hat, worn jeans, dusty t-shirt, even dustier boots. Bella didn't like the cool, appraising look he gave her, his dark eyes running hotly from her head to her toes, stopping to take in the way her dress exposed the tops of her breasts.

"Now, how can I help you, honey?" he offered.

"Can you tell me where Jasper is?" Bella asked.

"I don't know that I know him, sugar. Surely I could help you? Maybe give you a…personal tour of the barn?"

_You know, I don't like your tone, asshole. Maybe I should send you Jane's way…bet she could beat it out of you…_

"Is there another horse ranch on the property?" she asked as sweetly as she could manage.

"No, honey, this is the Big H Ranch. Only horse ranch around for miles and miles."

Bella's irritation got the best of her. "Well, then, why don't you take me to the boss? You know, the guy named Jasper?"

An older man walking by her and into the barn stopped and turned her way. "I'm heading that way; I'll be happy to take you to him."

"Thanks," Bella replied. Staring daggers at the first man, Bella followed the second into the barn.

"Don't mind James, ma'am. He never has known how to talk to a pretty lady. Had a stick up his as- …back ever since I met him." The man took off his hat and ran his fingers through his sweat-soaked grey hair. Pointing to an open door, he offered, "Boss should be in through here."

Bella turned to face the older man and smiled. "Thanks."

Dropping his eyes to the floor, he replied, "It's nothing, ma'am. Have a good day, now."

Bella walked into what looked to be a very large storage room. Lining the walls that she could see were photos of men standing next to horses, little bits of metal and strips of leather, shelves holding blankets, and what looked to be oddly-shaped triangular sawhorses that held saddles. Men that were walking in and out of the room, either taking or replacing items on the walls and shelves, all seemed to slow down and stop what they were doing as they noticed her.

_Don't get a lot of womenfolk around the horse barn, I'm guessing. _

Bent over analyzing one of the saddles on the wall opposite her, a tall man captured her attention. She took in his red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans, cowboy boots and dark cowboy hat with gusto. It took her a few seconds to realize it was Jasper.

_Damn. I'd forgotten just how sexy that man is. How did I do that?_

His hands pulled at the leather, lifting and turning it to examine something. When he was finished, he picked up a clipboard and wrote down his results. Dropping the clipboard afterward, she could see his back tense and pull through his thin shirt as he lifted the saddle and returned it to the empty slot along the wall.

_Damn, look at those shoulders. Wonder what they'd look like as he flexed himself into…_

"Why the hell is everyone just standing around?" Jasper asked suddenly. "Get back to work!" Then he turned around and saw her. "Bella?" he called. "Well, aren't you all fancied up?" Walking over to her, his eyes flashed in appreciation. "Oh, wow, it must have been spa day, huh?"

"Do I look that overdone?" Bella teased.

Jasper laughed. "Hardly, beautiful." Taking one of the curls artfully framing her face between his fingers, he continued, "You look like innocence and experience combined." Jasper tucked the curl behind her ear, leaning in to growl, "Fancy makeup with the cute little sundress…you're like a walking contradiction. Makes a man want to know which one is true."

"I'm not even sure I know which one is true," she countered, hooking her fingers in the belt loops of his jeans.

"Don't you?" he snorted. "I do."

_Well, don't keep it a secret, cowboy; tell me, for God's sake…_

Realizing she wasn't going to answer, he stated, "It's all true." Reaching out to wrap a hand around her hip, he pulled her closer to him. "You're a bit innocent, a bit eager, and your eyes say you know a hell of a lot more than that dress says you know." Licking his lips, he continued, "It's very…enticing."

Bella felt her body swaying toward him, full of desire. "Have you missed working for Carlisle yet?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Wish I'd delayed taking the job for a week. But how was I to know you'd show up?"

Bella dropped her head but kept her eyes on him. "Have you thought about bringing a woman out here to the barn?"

Swallowing loudly, Jasper shifted his hips a bit. "It's crossed my mind. But there are other people around, men working with the horses."

_Seize the moment, Swan! Show him what you've learned this week!_

Moving one hand to his neck, she pulled his head down to hers and purred, "I guess I'd better be nice and loud, then, so they can know what a stud you are, huh?"

Jasper groaned and then bit out, "Why are you here, Bella?"

_Because I want you to fuck me, cowboy._

"I would think that's obvious. I want to fuck you."

His head reared up at the unexpected answer. Glancing around to be sure they weren't being overheard, he continued, "Why me? There are lots of men back at the house."

Head held high even through her blush, she said, "I think I like it rough, and I want you to help me find out."

Eyebrows lowered, he asked, "Again, why me?"

Leaning in to whisper in his ear, her voice laced with desire, she said, "I trust you to do it because I know you can be gentle. You left me without getting off, so you have some control. You're the only cock I didn't get this whole week. What reason would work best for you?"

Jasper cleared his throat. "One of those reasons is fine. Rough, huh?"

Making eye contact, she nodded. "Rough. Raw. Primal. Can you do that for me?"

Taking a deep breath, he responded, "I think I can handle that." Glancing to the door, he instructed, "Follow me," his work-roughened hand grabbing her wrist and stalking to a side room she hadn't noticed before. Bella barely processed him giving directions to some men as he scrounged around in a beat-up old desk.

She fidgeted and wondered if she'd made the right decision in coming here. It was what she wanted, she assured herself, and Jasper would make the experience good for her. She steeled her nerves and waited.

With a shout of satisfaction, he lifted a shiny silver rectangle from the drawer, slammed it closed, and pulled her to the back of the room, down a darkened hallway, and into another part of the barn. Finally letting go of her wrist, he stood on a bale of hay, flipped open the rectangle, and placed it up in a high corner of the room.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked.

"All sexual interactions at the ranch are filmed, Bella – it's a rule. Surely you knew about it?"

"Well, I heard Aro and Carlisle talking about…wait, all interactions?"

"It was on the release forms you signed when they took your blood work. Didn't you see it?"

_Oh, __back __when __I __thought __this __was __REALLY __a __spa? _"Must have missed that. But I haven't seen cameras before…?"

He hopped down, landing right in front of her. "In the house, they're all hidden. Every room. Lots of angles."

Bella gasped in surprise. "What about outside?"

"You mean at the flat rock? Yeah, lots of cameras trained on that rock." Jasper moved her to a small space surrounded on three sides by horizontal slats across from the corner where he set up the camera. "Stand right here while I check it, okay?" he commanded and then hurried back up on the hay bale to check that she was in frame.

_Well, I guess this is where the magic is going to be happening…_

In her moment of inattentiveness, Jasper had reappeared by her side. He turned her to face him and pushed her back against the wood rails, stepping back to take her in. Licking his lips, he took a deep breath. Bella felt the heat of lust radiating off of him.

"Say again for the camera what you want, Bella."

Gulping, she replied, "I want you to fuck me."

"How?" he encouraged.

Eyes locked to his, she said, "I told you I wanted it rough…raw…primal."

"I want something in return," he advised.

_This is taking for-fucking-ever. I'm moving things along._

"Oh, really?" Raising her eyebrows, she moved her hands to the back of her sundress, unzipping it as he continued.

"I want you to use those amazing red nails to scratch the hell out of my back. I want to feel the marks for days. Deal?" he growled.

Eyes wide at the request, Bella replied, "Deal," as she dropped her dress to the floor. "Get undressed, Jasper. This all works better if you're naked."

He toed off his boots as he raised his arms to the back of his collar and roughly pulled his shirt from his body. His socks soon followed the boots, and then he unbuckled his belt.

Bella stood in her white panties, aching for him to continue. When he paused, she egged him on by saying, "C'mon, Jasper, let me see your cock. I didn't get to last time, and I've been thinking about it all week…"

Jasper slowly unhooked the five buttons holding his jeans together, and then folded the sides down, pulling them slowly off his body. Bella was pleased to see he wore nothing underneath them, allowing his cock to bounce free as soon as his pants cleared his hips.

_What the hell is it with the men around here not wearing underwear? _

Bella moaned in pleasure at the sight before her, and then lifted her eyes to his. "So good, Jasper."

"Get up on the slats, Bella," he rasped.

She looked at him in confusion. He stalked over to her, his cock bouncing. He turned her around to look at the wooden fencing behind her and instructed, "Put those cute little shoes of yours on the lowest slat."

She took in the five horizontal slats running the length of the stall. Turning back around, she bit her lip and asked coyly, "Do you want me to face you or the wall?"

Threading his fingers into the base of her hair, he growled, "How the hell are you going to scratch up my back if you're facing the wall, woman?"

Nodding her agreement, she backed up to the wall. Lifting her feet high enough to catch on the first slat, she hooked the very small heel over the wood. Her position threw her completely off balance. Her breathing accelerated as she realized that any movement would leave her falling face-first onto the floor. "I'm gonna fall…"

"I won't let you fall, sweet thing. Put your arms up around this rail," he instructed, moving her hands to the slat now situated at her shoulder level. Her breath caught as his heat bled into her and his cock left a wet trail across her stomach, right above where her panties sat on her hips.

Stepping back after she'd gripped the slats, he analyzed the situation. "Perfect," he muttered.

"You want to know if you like it rough, Bella? Let's find out." Grabbing her breasts, he squeezed them forcefully, flicking his thumbs over her nipples. "Do you like that?"

Shifting her hips, Bella drew in a sharp breath. As Jasper's nails scraped at her breasts, he insisted on an answer. "Do…you…like…it?"

"Yessss…" she hissed. "Oh, God, y…"

Before she'd finished her answer, Jasper's mouth landed on hers forcefully, his tongue pushing into her mouth and his body pressing her into the wood behind her. He bent his knees, dragging his body down the front of hers, and she could feel his cock as it slipped between her legs. Then she felt his hands grip the rail behind her hips, and he leaned his torso back slightly as he pressed upward, causing his cock to strain against her panties.

"Fuck, Bella, can you feel how good that's going to be?" he moaned raggedly. He dipped his mouth down to caress hers then moved his hands to her hips as he stepped away. "Stay right there, sweet thing." His hands fumbled for his pants, which had fallen halfway down his thighs. Pulling them back up so that he could reach the pockets, he extracted a small object that Bella didn't recognize until the blade clicked open.

Whimpering, Bella stared at the knife. Her breath heaved as he moved closer.

_Wait a minute, just what the hell are you going to do with a KNIFE? Wait wait wait stop stop stop… what the hell was the safe word again? Why isn't my mouth working?_

"Don't move," Jasper commanded. He threaded a finger through the legholes of her panties, pulled them away from her body, and slipped the knife between the panties and her skin. With a quick jerk, he made them a useless piece of material, left dangling from her waist.

_Okay, that was a LOT hotter than I thought it was going to be…_

Jasper replaced the knife in his pocket and pushed his pants down his legs again. Pressing his hard body to hers, he demanded, "How rough, Bella?" One hand reached between her legs, testing her readiness for him.

_No questions there, cowboy, I'm all KINDS of ready for you._

He pushed his fingers into her. She couldn't clear her head enough to formulate an answer.

His hot breath teased her forehead as his hand moved and shifted against her, fingers coaxing more wetness from her. "How...rough…Bella?"

"Fuck me, oh God, just fuck me, Jasper!"

Fingers quickly moved out of her, and she moaned as they were swiftly replaced with the tip of his cock. "Last chance to back out, Bella," he warned. "After this, I'm gonna fuck you until you can't walk straight."

_Promises, __promises._ Bella giggled as her mind travelled back to their first encounter. "Giddyup, cowboy!"

Her giggle turned into a high-pitched squeak as he impaled her on his cock. She loosened her grip on the upper rail so that she could lower herself, spreading her legs farther out and letting him deeper into her body. His thrusts started off punishing, and by using the wood behind her as leverage, they quickly rose to brutal. He kept his torso angled away from her, so that his eyes could stay glued to her breasts.

_Hell, they're bouncing so hard they might just leave my body entirely. Boobs fucked right off._

"So…fuckin'…perfect," Jasper bit out between heavy breaths. "Knew…you…would be."

Bella unwound one arm from the slats and wrapped her hand around Jasper's neck. "Can't…reach…" she got out.

Getting her message, he pressed his chest tightly against hers and moved his arms under her knees, latching his hands to the top of the rail behind her hips and pulling her feet right off the one she'd been standing on. Afraid of falling, she wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands clinging onto his shoulders and holding him tightly to her. Pressed all the way into her, he rotated his hips, causing them both to groan in response. Bella lightly ran her nails down his back as she reveled in the warmth of his skin pressed to hers.

"Harder," he asked, leaving his chest pressed to hers, but pulling his hips back. "This hard," he commanded, slamming them flush with hers in demonstration.

She curled her fingers and ran them down his back again.

"Better!" he encouraged. "Again!"

She brought her hands back up to his shoulders and waited for his next plunge. She worked deep scratches into his sweaty back while yelling his name in pleasure at each new thrust from his body. Soon after she started, she felt herself becoming unhinged, and the scratches went from coordinated to frantic, reaching and scraping randomly as she neared orgasm.

"Fuck…fuck…Jas…per…"

"So…good…come…on…" he implored. "Come…come…come…"

Bella threw her head back, slamming it into the wood behind her as her body tensed. Her orgasm arched her back, throwing her chest out as her nails marked Jasper's back, sides, and ass. He roared in pleasure, slamming his entire body into hers several more times until his release hit, flooding her with his warmth. He collapsed against her, body shaking and lungs gasping for air.

Bella struggled for her own air as she took inventory of her body. Jasper's body was keeping her upright; his arms under her knees, his chest pressed to hers, his cock in her pussy. She hummed, running her fingernails lightly across the heat coming from his back.

_Holy shit, his back is on fire! What the hell did I do to it?_

"Too…much?" she asked quietly, indicating her meaning with light scratches.

"Fuck…no," he replied. "Too…much…for…you?" he asked, lightly flexing his hips.

The harsh gasp of pleasure gave away her answer before she shook her head. She protested with a groan as he removed himself from her body and then lowered her legs, rubbing her hips with his large warm hands to help get the circulation going again. "Hurt?" he wondered, trying to look in her eyes.

"No," she shook her head again. Lifting her eyes to his, she said, "Feel fine."

He pressed his mouth to her temple, her cheek, under her jaw, and finally to her mouth, his tongue reacquainting itself with hers. His hands stroked her body, helping to dry the sweat accumulated on her skin. After a few minutes of rest, he pulled away from her and moved her out of the stall to a small storage box just outside the gate.

"Sit down," he directed.

As she sat, he pushed her shoulders back so that her back rested against the wall behind her. Using her knees to pull her forward, he knelt in front of her.

"Wait, what…," she protested, "I got…"

"Shhhh," he chided. "I'm not letting you leave her with just one orgasm, Bella." He smiled up at her, lifting a leg over his shoulder. "Since I'm sure some of the gossips on my crew are listening in instead of doing their work, I have a reputation to make."

Bella chuckled. "And you want me to help you make it, huh?"

Eyes twinkling, he replied, "All you have to do is yell my name a few more times. I'll make it worth your while…"

Heat zinged along her body, and she replied, "Well, since you put it that way…"

* * *

><p>An hour later, Jasper escorted Bella out of the back room, through his office and to the large barn doors leading outside, her dress back in place, hair finger-combed into as much order as she could manage, with a mysterious smile on her face and her head held high. Several men watched, eyebrows raised, as she sauntered happily toward the main door.<p>

As she reached the glorified golf cart, Jasper pressed Bella against the side of the car and whispered, "I'm so glad you came to see me before you left, Bella," before leaning down to give her a steamy kiss. She had enough presence of mind to realize that men all around them were stopped in their tracks, staring at the two of them.

_You wanna see what a little hellcat your boss just handled? Let me show you!_

Bella fisted the back of his shirt in her hands and lifted it up to the middle of his back, letting anyone watching see the deep red marks she'd left on him.

Jasper moved to her ear and teased, "Showing off your handiwork?"

"You wanted respect, didn't you? I left some major marks on your back. Might as well show them off for you."

"Thank you for that, Bella. I'm so glad I get to feel you for days after you go."

She grinned. "Me, too."

Pulling away from her, he sighed. "Be well, Bella, and only accept five stars, okay?"

She nodded. "After being with you, how could I accept anything less?"


	11. Primal

Chapter 11 - **Primal**

Bella spent the night thinking.

Thinking could turn into a good thing, such as when she was able to figure out new ways for her best friend to get out and about without the paparazzi catching wind of it, or it could be a bad thing, such as when a two-page college writing assignment turned into _War and Peace_.

Bella thought about how this week had changed her. She wasn't the same person she had been when she got here – she could definitely tell that trying to fit herself back into the very specific mold she'd created in order to be Alice's assistant would be extremely tough. She'd have to learn how to do her job with this new confidence radiating from her. She wondered if it would be that noticeable to others that she'd changed.

Sometime during the night, she'd packed up her room, readying herself to leave. She napped in fits and starts, realizing that Carlisle hadn't told her exactly what time she would be leaving, just that this morning was her last. She played around with the thought of staying; perhaps she could work in the kitchens or the barn and have access to amazing, five-star sex all the time. But thinking on it, Bella realized that the fact that five-star sex was so rare was part of what made it so special, and she just knew that if she were to find a man that engaged her heart as well as her mind and body, the experiences here at the ranch would seem…tame…by comparison.

So, Bella thought, time to get back to real life. She turned on her phone and waded through the myriad of messages that had been left for Alice from everyone, as well as the numerous messages to her from Alice. Just as she'd finished triaging the messages into stacks of importance so she could begin dealing with them, a text message came through that stopped her in her tracks.

**ABStar: Code Shitstorm!**

_What the hell is Code Shitstorm? I remember Code Asshole and Code STFU, but what the hell was… oh, NO…_

Bella frantically dialed Alice's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Just what shit has hit what fan, Alice?" Bella demanded.

"Now, Bella, let's not get all worked up over –"

"You're the one who texted 'Code Shitstorm,' Alice – start talking right now!"

"I'm stuck in a blizzard. And even if I could get to the airport, all flights are grounded for the next few days."

Bella paused a moment in shock at the news. "Only you, Alice. You didn't think to leave when you saw there was a blizzard headed your way?"

"Well, in my defense, I hadn't been keeping up with the Weather Channel while on vacation…"

"Are you shitting me, Alice? It's _winter,_ and you're in _Vermont_!"

"I know I messed up, okay? I know your vacation doesn't end for a few more days, but I just need you to get me out of here as soon as possible."

Bella sighed. "How much leeway are you giving me?"

"It's Saturday, and I absolutely need to be at the studio Tuesday for the press junket. I'll do whatever you need me to…a couple of pics with the local fire department, an appearance at a future fundraiser; I mean _whatever_, Bella."

A loud knock sounded at Bella's door. She guessed it was time to go.

"Okay, I've got to run. Let me work on something and get back to you…"

"Thanks, Bella," Alice sighed from the other side of the country. "You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah, be packed and be ready to go, okay? I'll call soon." Bella hung up the phone as she opened the door to her room. A man she hadn't seen before handed her a notecard and offered to take her bag downstairs. She rummaged around in her handbag to find a gratuity for him, but by the time she found it, he and her bag were gone.

_Ah, yes, this feeling of inadequacy is a familiar one. Don't let it get to you, Swan, you're not the same woman who arrived seven days ago. _

She looked at the notecard in her hand. She could tell by the familiar handwriting that it was from Carlisle. The message was short.

_Please come see me in my office before you leave._

Sighing, she picked up her purse, took one last look around her room, and headed out.

* * *

><p>Head buried in her phone, Bella entered Carlisle's office in a tizzy. "You don't happen to know anyone in New England, do you? I have to perform a superstar extraction..."<p>

She stopped as she took in the scene before her. Carlisle was standing next to the roaring fireplace in his office, one of his hands gripping the mantle tightly, his attention focused on the French doors that opened out on to the helipad. A shiny blue and white monstrosity waited to take Bella back to her old life. She sighed in disappointment, and he turned to face her then, his eyes full of the predatory gleam they'd held the first time she'd met him in this very room, and a bit of…what was that? Irritation? Anger? Frustration?

"You asked me to come see you," Bella restarted her conversation. "Is there something wrong?"

"You couldn't have waited here five more minutes yesterday? I only left the room twice, for five minutes each time," he bit out. "Instead you head out to the horse barn, and Jasper didn't give you what you asked for."

"What?" she asked, feeling her body respond to the promise in his tensed form. "I don't understand. I got what I asked for."

Eyebrows raised, he answered, "You told Jasper you wanted something primal; I have enough experience to know what a woman means when she says it." Lust laced his tone, turning her into a lit fuse. "But it's too late now, Bella. It's time for you to go. The pilot's waiting."

Bella moved into the room, setting her purse down on a table next to the chair she'd sat in for Jane's demonstration. "You're paying him – he'll wait."

"You need to leave, sweet Bella," he huffed. Closing his eyes, Carlisle took a deep breath. "You know, I pride myself on my control, but I'll be damned if I don't keep hearing your voice in my head."

Bella was familiar with hearing other people's voices inside her head. "What does my voice say?"

Clearing his throat, he huskily replied, "It says, 'I'm dying for you to fuck me, Carlisle….fuck me fuck me fuck me,' just like you did two nights ago. And I'll be damned if I don't want to do exactly that."

Her mouth suddenly dry, Bella asked, "Is that such a bad thing, Professor?"

He opened his eyes, staring out the window at the helicopter waiting to take her away, continuing as if he hadn't heard her. "I don't usually allow myself to be that intimate with first-time guests. I mean, I have to keep some mystery, give women a reason to come back to the ranch." Here Carlisle turned to face her, eyes burning with desire. "But you, dear Bella, if you don't leave, I will fuck you."

_I am sooo not opposed to that...now how to encourage it? Appeal to his pride? His ego?_

Heat flashed through her, totally unconnected to the fire roaring halfway across the room. Bella gulped and moved to the empty antique desk where she'd taunted Carlisle a little more than thirty-six hours ago. "You're right. I should go."

She could see him nearly vibrating with energy as he answered her. "Yes. Go. Now."

Bella ran her fingers over the leather inlay of Carlisle's desk, eyes seeing into the past. "Yes. I will. After all, you've had your hands all over me, and I've sucked you off and spanked your ass. There doesn't need to be any more between us. I certainly don't need to fuck you." Bella licked her lips, hoping her next comment would send him over the edge. "And come on? You? Primal? I just don't see it."

Carlisle stalked across the room, arriving at her side by the time she was finished speaking.

_Note to self; in the future, keep an eye on the man you're taunting._

He wrapped an arm around her and used the other to bend her body over his spotlessly clean desk. She lit on fire as his heat and weight pressed against her back from thigh to shoulder. A hand threaded through her hair, lifting her head so that his breath was hot in her ear. "Why not me? I'm a good fuck. Hell, I'm the BEST fuck. You've seen my cock – it's amazing! And I know just how the fuck to use it."

Bella shivered in anticipation. Feeling his already-hard cock through the thin skirt covering her backside, Bella groaned and writhed in pleasure.

_Okay, why the hell does Carlisle losing control turn me on so fucking much?_

Jerking lightly on her hair, he continued, "Tell me yes, Bella. Tell me you want me to fuck you. Say it just like you did the other night…. Fuck me fuck me fuck me…," Pulling her hair again, he demanded, "Say it!"

_Does it really matter why? No, it does NOT. Now to get my brain to work right…_

"Fu…fuck me, Carlisle… fuck me fuck me…."

She heard him mutter, "Damn right, I will," as one hand ran up the back of her right leg, dragging her skirt up with it. Suddenly, his hand left her leg and darted to the space between them.

"Ohhhh, tempting little Bella, why are you not wearing panties to come see me?" Carlisle growled, flipping up the skirt of her sundress as he leaned back to take in her naked lower half. His free hand fondled her, stroking, pinching, and piercing her body as she wiggled in pleasure. Bella felt the hand gripping her hair loosen and take up a new position between her shoulder blades, pushing her body down toward the desk.

He covered her body with his again, and she had a hard time distinguishing her heavy breaths from his. Even with his mouth pressed to her ear, she could barely hear Carlisle's snarl over the blood pounding in her veins. "I want you to lick my come off the desk, Bella. I've been waiting two days for you to lick it up…."

_Yes, sir, Professor, sir. Anything else I can do to push you over the edge right now so you just get to the 'fucking me' part?_

Bella began making kitten licks to the desk, humming in pleasure. She whimpered as his fingers left her body, but then heard loud sucking noises as he licked her arousal off his fingers. She heard a popping sound, and immediately afterward his wet fingers traced the highest line of skin exposed on her back.

"Taste so good, so sweet, my sweet Bella…"

His hands shifted, pushing her sundress higher up her torso as he ran his hands up underneath her to fondle her unclad breasts. "So soft, Bella. Can I tell you a secret?"

Bella whined her agreement, wiggling her hips back into his.

"Part of my job is to train men how to please women. But I never teach them everything I know." Her body began to shake at the dark promise in his voice.

His hands left her to rip his shirt buttons and cuffs open. Not even bothering to remove the ruined shirt, he quickly returned to her, urging her right knee up. "Climb up on the desk, Bella. Up on all fours."

Her body complied before her brain could form an objection, and Carlisle quickly dipped the fingers of his right hand back into her body. The angle was different, however, and Bella could instantly tell that the pressure was greater, his fingers scraping inside her in an unexpectedly pleasure-laden way. His left hand dragged her dress up over her head, leaving it in a heap around her wrists, before he laced his arm over her shoulder, his hand skimming the soft skin of her belly.

"What…there's a… I don't….wait…" she begged, trying to make sense of the electricity running through her.

"No waiting, Bella," he barked, his fingers pulling and pushing her straight into the stratosphere. "You're going to come all over my desk just like I did. We're going to be together forever on the leather of my desk."

Bella's arms shook with the lustful passion radiating from him. Her head felt too heavy to hold up anymore, and she dropped it, able to see shadows of his movements play out on the desk beneath her. Her breath started to hitch, and he laid his head down on the middle of her back, groaning, "That's it, beautiful Bella. Be primal. Put your mark all over my desk." His left hand stretched from her belly to her clit as the fingers inside her circled and pressed her right over the edge. She could hear her scream echoing and feel her body contract as her orgasm crashed through her, her wetness splashing her legs and dripping onto the leather inlay.

Indistinct murmuring filled her ears. Her arms hung uselessly from her shoulders, her weight settled on the masculine arm underneath her torso.

_If you're trying to tell me to do something, wait until I can understand English again, okay?_

Extracting his fingers once again, she could feel his wet hand wrap around her thigh and drag the bottom half of her body off the desk, her legs shakily holding up her body as Carlisle's legs stepped between hers, his hips pressed into hers again, pinning her to the desk.

Tugging the dress from her arms, he threw it aside, and then threw his own ruined shirt to join it. Bella groaned as she heard the clink of a belt buckle being loosened and the rasp of his pants as gravity worked on them. Then she felt the heat of his cock as it rested in the cleft of her ass. With his slight motions, she noticed that she could feel the hairs on his legs as they tickled the back of her knees.

A hand threaded into her hair again, and Bella's arms flew out to brace against the desktop as her head was snapped back to Carlisle's mouth. His hot breath seemed to send a spark straight to the center of her arousal. "In my experience, when a woman says she wants something primal, she wants to be taken." Tilting her head away from him, he scraped her neck with his teeth, fanning her fire. She could feel his free hand move to take himself in hand, and he grasped his cock and moved his knuckles and the tip of his cock over her pussy, emphasizing his point. Returning his mouth to her ear, he hissed, "Is that what you want? To be taken?"

Bella's chest was heaving with the desire for more oxygen. She couldn't remember the last time she'd breathed, much less how to form words. She tried to nod against the grip he had on her hair.

"Of course you do," he responded, pushing into her slickness in one long stroke. With his hips flush with hers, Bella's toes scrabbled for purchase on the floor. Her hands slid on the wet surface of the desk as Carlisle pulled her hair sharply.

"You want rough, raw, primal? I'll give it to you," he rasped, once again covering her body with his. His hands wrapped under her body and around her shoulders, pulling her back into him repeatedly as his hips rotated and flexed. Bella matched his grunting with her own as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

Bella had barely enough presence of mind to try and take in what was happening to her – just what it was about this moment that had her racing to an orgasm. She was being fucked by a confident, powerful, sexual being. He was overcome with lust for her. She was in a bit of discomfort; she felt the handle of his desk as it bit into her thigh muscle, experienced the edge of his desk grinding against the crease of her legs and torso, suffered the too-tight grip of his fingers into her shoulders. She was also aroused: she felt his sweat-soaked chest sliding along her back, heard the sounds of pleasure he was making, reveled in the knowledge that she'd shaken this man from his tightly-held control.

Carlisle forced her torso down, and she had to use her elbows to keep her face from grinding into the desk. With every thrust he made, her elbows slipped farther and farther apart until she could feel the tips of her breasts scrape along the black leather, dragging through the wetness she'd left there. The resulting shocks of pleasure from the added stimulation forced harsh cries of pleasure from her.

_Whatever gods exist in the universe, I would like this moment to go on forever and ever, amen._

But she knew it couldn't last and felt her orgasm approaching quickly. Her cries turned to pleas as she chased the tingling pleasure.

He released her shoulders and stood, one hand wrapped around her hip, still pulling her onto his cock. His other hand rested at the top of her ass, his thumb tracing circles around one opening as he pounded into the other, setting off the conflagration that consumed her. Her toes curled so much that she couldn't reach the floor anymore, and her body fell to the desk, sliding along the desktop as he continued to pump into her. Her stomach muscles shook as her body clenched around him repeatedly. She kept waiting for him to follow her into the fire, but he seemed immune.

A hand stroked down her back, over her ass, down her thigh, and back up repeatedly, soothing her overloaded body. Again, she heard words being formed, but was unable to process what was being said.

_What…hell…happened?_

The talking began to clear into words. "So sweet…beautiful…Bella…feel so good. But I'm not done with you yet."

She could hear metal clanking behind her, but had no energy to lift her head and see what caused the sound. Suddenly, her hair was brushed over one shoulder, and one of Carlisle's arms wrapped around her hips, holding her tightly to him as his feet moved outside hers, and then she was pulled backward into his lap as he sat in the red leather chair. Her body was draped over his like a blanket, her forehead pressed into the crook of his neck as she struggled for breath.

"I've been dying to fuck you in this chair for two days, Bella," he growled, his hands running down her thighs to the inside of her knees, "ever since you teased me by not letting me see that pretty pussy of yours." He turned the chair to face the credenza behind them, and Bella could see his computer set up and his webcam on.

He gripped around her knees, separating her legs and placing them over the arms of the chairs – the same position she'd teased him with two days ago. She looked at the recording of him on the screen as his eyes feasted on what he'd revealed, his hands slowly drifting to her center, where his cock still rested inside her.

"Such a pretty pussy, Bella," he breathed, stroking the outside lips. "Look at how you turn from deep coral to such a beautiful, deep red." His fingers ran over her clit. "And look at how your clit begs to be touched…"

Bella moaned at Carlisle's filthy commentary, oversensitivity causing her to flinch away from each new caress. His hand drifted higher, to her breasts, and he plucked and flicked the tips of them as he whispered, "Your body is made for pleasure, Bella. Never forget it."

With that, he stroked his hands down her body again, ending up behind her knees. Lifting her legs, he placed them back between his, her feet together on the floor. He leaned her forward slightly, gently guiding her hands to the edge of the credenza. "Hold tight, now, Bella," he warned, as he shifted his hips down in the seat and she felt his feet hook behind the wheels of the chair.

_What the hell is he warning me about now? I mean, what else could…_

Carlisle's hands gripped her hips tightly, and he pushed her up off his cock, using her knees as a pivot point.

_Oh shit oh shit, ohmyGod is he going to…_

With no warning, he pulled her roughly down onto his cock, causing her to scream out in pleasure. She could feel her legs burn from the strain almost immediately as he continued to push and pull her off of him, his speed increasing and her cries raising in pitch and volume.

Her head lolled on her neck as her screams turned to whimpers and her back arched inward, trying to seek some sort of relief from the physical overload. A hand tangled in her hair again, bowing her shoulders back and causing her chest to jut out. She could see her breasts bouncing on the computer screen, and one part of her brain registered that Carlisle would have video of her tits forever.

"Oh…God…I'm…Fuck…" she panted, trying to warn him.

"That's…it…that's…it…" he replied, flexing his hips higher, urging her toward completion.

Screaming, she came. Carlisle cursed and flexed into her a few more times before following after her. She immediately collapsed on top of him, gasping for breath and trying to process what had just happened. His hands roamed over her, stroking and soothing her shaking body. All too soon, realities forced his body to leave hers.

Carlisle turned the chair back around to face the desk and opened his top left drawer. He tossed her black panties from two nights ago onto his desk, then reached in the drawer and extracted two cloth handkerchiefs, using one to clean Bella, and the other to clean himself.

Lifting Bella up, he turned her around on her shaky legs and propped her ass against the right side of his desk, then adjusted his pants and buckled his belt before bending to retrieve his shirt. After throwing it on his shoulders, he quickly fastened it and then retrieved her dress. After pressing his clothed body to her naked one, he kissed her wetly.

_I don't…wait…let's do that…did he want to do that aga…no, don't put my dress ON…_

"Lift your arms so I can put on your dress," he told her.

_If I don't say anything, maybe he'll get the message I don't want to do that…_

Putting her dress down, he lifted her arms up and shook them a little to get her to lock them. Then he slid the dress back down her body, running his hands down the wrinkles to smooth them out. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt, trying to center her balance.

_Well, hell, that 'being silent' thing didn't work at ALL…_

Then he turned his attention to his desk. Standing next to her, Carlisle tossed Bella's panties from their previous encounter back in his drawer before running the handkerchiefs over the surface of his desk, their moisture darkening the leather momentarily. When he'd finished, he hummed in pleasure.

He leaned into her side and whispered hotly, "I may have to buy a new office desk. I think this one needs to move into my private apartment immediately." Kissing her temple, he turned to his credenza, made a few clicks, and the computer began to whir in response. Opening a new window, he huffed, "The pilot is worried about the delay in your departure." With a smirk, he looked over his shoulder at her. "I wonder what he'd say if he knew what caused it."

She stood on her newborn-colt legs and fumbled over to him, threading her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek to the center of his back. _Why the hell are we talking about the pilot? _She hummed in pleasure. "That was perfect, Carlisle. Thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Bella." Gently extracting himself from her arms, he turned back to his desk and opened the next drawer down on the left side of the desk. Taking out a leather-covered box, he sat it on his desk, glancing at her before lifting the lid and removing a leather-bound journal. Looking into her eyes, he held it on his flattened palms and offered it to her.

"We don't often do this for our guests, but I wanted you to have this. It's a bound copy of all of your notecards, so that you can remember the progress you've made here this week."

Stunned, Bella opened the book and looked at the first page. In Carlisle's inimitable handwriting, she saw "Bella's Journey" at the top of the page and his mantra, "Appreciate All, Regret Nothing," at the bottom. Flipping through, she spied photos of all the men she'd been with at the ranch, along with her notes on her experiences with each of them. She clutched the book to her chest and looked up into Carlisle's eyes.

"Thank you so much, Carlisle…I'll always treasure this, you know." She thought about hugging him again, pressing her body to his, but felt it might be inappropriate now, as he seemed to be distancing himself from her.

"I hope so", he said, brushing his knuckles across her cheek. "There's also a memory stick with video of every encounter, professionally edited." He turned around and pulled a memory stick out of the computer on his credenza and held it up. "All except for this last one. I'm afraid this is only the raw footage. If you want, I can send you a nicely edited copy, or as per our policy, I can destroy all recordings immediately upon your departure."

Bella inhaled sharply and grabbed the stick out of his hands. "I want every angle of this encounter. You can't take any of it away from me."

Carlisle wrapped his hand around her neck. "While there are extensive notes on your preferences, they are only in paper format, and are not easily connected to your name." Kissing her softly, he continued, "So that we remember what you like, just in case you are able to come back."

Bella snorted softly. "I can't even imagine what Alice paid for this week…but I know it's out of my price range. I think I'll have to be content with what I've learned this time. It's been quite the journey of discovery for me, but it's time for me to go home."

As Carlisle nodded, his cell phone buzzed. After taking it from his pocket, he answered it.

"Yes? Yes, she's here…we had a few things to finish up with the paperwork. We'll be right down. Okay, thanks." Finishing the call, he replaced his phone in his pocket, and picked up the box from the desk. Bella gently laid her book back inside, and added her memory stick to the one already in the box. Standing, she took a deep breath, and then took the box from his hands.

"I can't thank you enough, Carlisle. I learned so much…"

"It was all inside you, Bella. We just gave you the opportunity to find it."

Bella nodded. Retrieving her purse, she placed the narrow box inside, and then hooked the long straps over her shoulder. "I'm ready to go."

He offered her his arm and escorted her out of his office.

* * *

><p>Carlisle walked her out of the building and up to the helicopter passenger door, opening it and offering her his hand for balance. She stepped up, settling into the seat and buckling in, her purse gripped tightly in her hands, as if she couldn't bear to let it go. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips and pressed them to the back of her hand gently before saying, "Safe travels, sweet Bella. I'll miss you."<p>

Backing away, he closed and locked the door. Bella watched him as he walked backward out of the prop wash of the helicopter blades. His hand rose to cover his eyes from the strong winds as it lifted. She watched him as the helicopter rose into the sky, wondering if it was a trick of the light or if he really was that sad to see her go.

Bella felt a small tug on her heart, and wondered what it would have been like to stay at the ranch, to spend more time learning about her desires with Carlisle, who seemed to know her so well. But she knew she couldn't live in a fantasy world forever. She had to get back to her real life and get Alice back to Hollywood as soon as possible.


	12. The Mouse that Roared

Chapter 12 - **The Mouse That Roared**

Bella sat back on her couch in her most comfortable clothes with a celebratory glass of wine and patted herself on the back for managing to free Alice from the clutches of blizzard-bound New England.

_Superstar extraction is my superpower, after all. Who knew?_

Luckily, her police chief father had contacts who had friends of friends who were willing to help her accomplish Alice's escape. All it took was sending Alice on the trip of a lifetime – riding with a retired former small-town police chief on the back of a snowmobile (sans all but one small piece of luggage, which almost caused a mutiny), traveling with two different off-duty members of the National Guard Reserve in SUVs with supposedly snow-worthy tires (one of which slid off the road), and trembling through a dangerous 15-hour drive on treacherous but relatively empty roads to the closest open airport – in New York City.

After all that, getting Alice on this evening's red-eye to LAX and having her met by a limo with a hair and makeup crew stashed inside ready to transform her into Alice Brandon, Superstar, in time for her press junket tomorrow morning was simple in comparison.

As she allowed herself to unwind, her eyes flicked to the book she'd received from Carlisle, sitting on her side table where she'd left it the last time she'd looked at it. Before she could stop herself, her hand caressed the leather cover and then opened the book. Flipping open the pages filled with pictures and her handwriting, Bella recounted last week.

She ran her fingers through her hair as she thought of Jasper's slight Texas accent saying, _"…I felt compelled to say you're beautiful because you are…,"_ and hummed at the thought of his talented tongue.

Her heart sped up as she looked at Emmett's picture – one of his underwear ads, of course – and thought of his unabashed appreciation of sex. _"Hmmm, you are so turned on. You liked my little show a lot, didn't you, Bella?" _Remembering his appreciation of her breasts, she allowed the hand not holding the book open to burrow under her shirt so that she could caress her breast the way he had.

Turning the page brought Demetri's hot, wet kisses to mind. She licked her lips as her memory recalled him saying, _"So sweet, Bella. Are you as juicy as the peach? I bet you are…" _ Her hand drifted from her breast, down her stomach, and under the waistband of her pants. She tried to replicate Demetri's movements as she thought of Marcus's rapt attention. _"Bellissima Bella. So beautiful. Are you close?..."_

"_Can you feel the energy we're creating, Bella? You set me on fire…" _ Thinking of Felix – his tree-trunk thighs, his powerful hands – caused Bella to moan in delight. She slid down the couch so that she could have better access to her body and allowed herself to wonder what he would have been able to do if they'd had access to furniture.

As she turned to the next page, Bella's skin flushed. She'd disturbed the unflappable Carlisle, blackmailing him into teaching her how to please a man with her mouth. She felt her pleasure increase as she thought of his praise. _"I do believe that was A+ work, Ms. Swan…"_

And Aro. She almost couldn't get her mind around how much sensuality he radiated. _"Let me thank you once again, goddess, for letting me see the depth of the beauty you possess…." _Bella found herself thinking of his selflessness; his willingness to pass on his sexual knowledge to the next generation as a clear sign of a man confident in his abilities.

Turning to the next page, all her mind could picture was Carlisle on all fours on his desk, cock brushing and leaking on the leather, his eyes focused on her, attuned to her. As the hand on her clit picked up speed, she began to whimper in time with her memories of him.

The group: Seth, Jake, Sam, and Paul. She had a picture for each of them, and her long missive about her experience with them had been cut and pasted onto the back of all four pictures in the order she'd taken them into her body. As she used her hand to mimic their penetration, Sam's words floated back to her. _"All you have to do is say what you want, Bella, and I'll make sure it happens. Okay?"_

Jasper again. His unabashed staring in the barn, shocked at the image he beheld. _"You look like innocence and experience combined…you're like a walking contradiction. Makes a man want to know which one is true…."_ Her hand flew back to her clit, her body reacting to the memory of his mouth in the same location.

Carlisle. Her body rushed to finish as she thought of his eyes drilling into her soul. She clenched at the thought of his feral power barely caged. _"Your body is made for pleasure, Bella. Never forget it," _he'd growled at her. As she began to fall into her orgasm, his voice came to her again. "_It was all inside you, Bella. We just gave you the opportunity to find it…"_

Melting into the couch in the wake of her orgasm, her hand clutched tightly around her sexual journal, Bella gasped for breath. As her heart stilled, she turned to the final page, her fingers running over the text of the Ikkyu poem Carlisle had quoted to her the first day of her stay. One line kept leaping out at her like a beacon to lead her into a new life.

_Today is your birth day_  
><em>Awaken<em>

* * *

><p>Facing the contents of her closet, getting ready to go back to being Alice's personal assistant, Bella acutely felt her feminine power and realized none of her standby work "uniforms" would work for her any more. She'd always worn something dark and unflattering that would not in any way draw attention away from Alice, and she'd pulled up her hair because she thought it made her look older, more worthy of respect. Looking at herself in one of those "uniforms" in the long mirror and thinking about it now, she realized that it may have just made her look tired and unhappy. If she dressed up like that today, she'd be portraying some sort of shadow Bella. Her inside was so much more vibrant; she just needed to figure out how to translate that vibrancy to her outside, to the part she showed the rest of the world. She took off the offending clothes and frantically pulled all of her old standbys out of the closet, flinging them into a pile to be given away later.<p>

_The poem said "wear what your lover likes"… what would a lover like to see me in?_

Leaving her hair down in thick waves, Bella shook her head, watching it swing and move around her. She noticed it was long enough to brush against her nipples, and she smiled at the memory of Felix's fascination with it. She knew what one lover liked, at least. She'd start there.

…_Revel in your body…Feel your surface…what would feel good on my surface?_

Smiling at the picture she made in her one expensive bra and panty set, she decided to wear an ice blue silky shirt thin enough that she could feel the movement of her hair, even though she would need to wear a sweater or jacket over it to make it look professional. She put on a short, flippy black skirt, purchased on a tipsy shopping spree with Alice years ago when the fame was new, before Alice was on every tabloid and being out in public made her a target of fans and creeps alike. Then she applied a minimal amount of makeup - just enough to emphasize her eyes and highlight her lips.

Taking in the picture in the long mirror now, she looked much more approachable and relaxed. This was the Bella she wanted to be – well, maybe with the addition of power shoes. Alice swore by power shoes – ones that you put on and felt powerful in. Bella focused on comfort in the past but thought maybe she should try power on for size. She went to the "goody closet" – it was really more of a room – where Alice stashed all the freebies designers sent to her until the room was full, then donated the entire contents to various charities.

_Thank god Alice and I wear the same size shoes, if nothing else!_

After a short search, Bella pulled out a pair of black shoes with such a high heel she was sure she'd fall immediately. She decided they couldn't be power shoes if she was frozen in place, so she kept looking. Finding a pair of heels with a buckle across the ankle, Bella thought they were the perfect example of what Alice meant when she said "power shoes." Grabbing the shoes and a random very large shoulder bag in bright blue, Bella went back to her room, slipped the shoes on in front of the mirror, shouldered the bag, and looked at her new uniform, loving her new look.

_Well, here it is, folks, the birth of New Bella! Hollywood beware! _

After moving the tools of her trade from her old messenger bag to her new stylish purse, Bella grabbed a grey tailored jacket and scooted out the door ready to face her day.

* * *

><p>As she headed into the studio's Media Center, Bella was, surprisingly, greeted at the door.<p>

"Hello, and welcome to the Media Center. Television, print, or electronic?"

Bella stared at Leah, a woman who, during each of Alice's pictures with the studio, had simply waved her through the Media Center reception area and on into the back rooms. Did she really look that different?

"I'm not press. I'm Alice Brandon's assistant."

"We still have Bella Swan listed as Ms. Brandon's assistant, so I'll need to see your ID and give Ms. Brandon a call."

Bella tilted her head and stared at Leah for a few seconds. Realizing that awareness was not going to suddenly bestow itself on the gatekeeper, Bella fished in her purse for her driver's license.

"I don't know what it is with everyone around here," Bella muttered, handing her ID to Leah. "A woman gets a simple makeover, and everyone heads right off the deep end…"

Gratified at Leah's shock in seeing the name "Isabella Swan" on her ID, Bella snapped the card from Leah's hands when she extended it.

"Wow, Bella… you look…amazing. Different. Shockingly different. Did you…I don't know, did you color your hair?"

Bella felt no need to assist the woman in digging her own grave. She simply stood there and watched it happen. "No."

Leah blanched. "There's definitely something different about you…"

_First the guard shack, now this…I just changed my hair and put on makeup, and everyone acts as if they've never seen me before…_

Bella, done with this avenue of conversation, stated, "I really should start setting up Alice's interview room. Can you give me her room number?"

Flipping through the pages in front of her, Leah nodded. "Let me verify, but I'm pretty sure it's Room 4. Yes, Room 4. You know where it is?"

Bella barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "Sure. It's right after Rooms 2 and 3. Thanks." She turned toward the side entrance used by the studio staff.

She'd almost made it to the door when Leah called out, "Whatever you did, Bella, you look fantastic."

Opening the door, Bella looked back, mumbled a "thanks," and headed through the door and away from Leah.

Still shaking her head in confusion over her welcome, Bella entered Alice's interview room and flinched. Someone at the studio was simply an idiot or panicking unnecessarily – the interview room they'd assigned to Alice was filled with potted palm trees.

_Firstly, they'd filmed the desert scenes at Joshua Tree National Park – not a palm tree in sight. Secondly, why would you want a palm tree sticking out from behind your movie star's head?_

Sighing, Bella sat her bag down and went to work re-organizing the room. Knowing that the studio professionally adjusted the locations of the chairs and lights, she began fixing the rest of the room. First, she took two waters out of the mini-fridge and placed them on a small table next to Alice's interview chair. Then she sat in the seat and looked for anything behind the interviewer's chair that might distract Alice – this was a lesson they'd learned early on. People made all sorts of assumptions when Alice was distracted during an interview.

Once Bella was assured there was nothing wrong with the view from Alice's chair, she took off her jacket and began pulling the three potted palm trees out of the room. The smallest one was easily dragged to and hidden in the connecting bathroom. The second, a bit larger, took some time to drag to a corner that wouldn't be in Alice's sight line and would also be invisible to the interviewer's camera. It was while she was dragging the very large third plant out of the way that she felt someone's eyes on her…specifically, on her backside.

_Well, that must be quite the show. _

Glancing over her shoulder to see a masculine set to the shoulders, she huffed, "I'm sure there's something more interesting to look at than my ass."

"Oh, I don't know about that," a deep, honeyed voice teased in reply. "I think it's _very_ interesting."

Bella closed her eyes and prayed to a variety of deities that it wasn't the director of the picture standing behind her, blanketing the room in that velvety sweet voice that stunned her senses. She'd had such a difficult time thinking around him during the entire length of the film shoot and felt like she'd left him with the impression that she was mute.

_You know that's who it is, Swan, so stand up and talk to the man. He's just a man - like any other man. Now you know what to do with all **kinds** of men. You can handle this hotness…_

Furrowing her brow at her mental monologue, Bella stood up and turned to face him, her long hair fluttering around her shoulders. She immediately realized her memory hadn't done him justice. She'd always noticed him - tall, trim, sexy, hazel green eyes lit from within, with a lopsided grin and hair of an indescribable color that wouldn't be tamed – but this time she was shockingly aware of his long fingers and stubbly jaw and wondered what both of them would feel like on her skin. Thank goodness she was already flushed from moving the plant – it would cover up the flush of her arousal.

His eyes widened as he took her in. "Oh, wow," he said, smiling, "I'm going to have to do more pictures here if they're going to put a beautiful woman in my interview room."

Bella took a steadying breath. "Well, we should go check and see what she looks like, then, since this is Alice Brandon's room," she teased.

His grin lit up the room. "That can't be right. Alice doesn't have a need to look at a beautiful woman. This has to be my room." He moved to the other side of the palm tree, wrapping his preternaturally long fingers around the trunk. "And why are you redecorating it?" He looked around, trying to see where Bella intended to place the tree.

Bella pointed him to the closest free corner and replied, "The palm trees are unnecessary and inaccurate. The desert scenes were shot at Joshua Tree. There are only a couple of locations where you can see palm trees in the park, and you avoided those during the shoot."

Placing the palm tree down in the corner she'd specified, he turned to face her, taking her in from head to toe. "Do I know you? Were you on the shoot?"

Bella sucked in a breath. Of course he hadn't noticed Old Bella. She had gone around trying to be unnoticed. But New Bella had his attention. So she avoided part of the question and answered the rest.

"I'm Alice Brandon's assistant."

He laughed, bracing a hand on the wall by her head as he leaned in to speak to her. "Is that right?" he asked, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, running down the strand until the ends popped from his fingers.

_Do you like my hair, Mr. Masen? Do you think you'd like to see me drag it all over your cock? 'Cause I'm totally willing to do that…_

Bella was caught up in a haze of lust, wondering if she could convince him to let her see his cock any time soon, when he ruined it all by continuing to speak. "Well, you must be a new one - her old assistant was a mousy thing; not like you at all."

Bella felt the sting of the comment and lowered her eyes, trying to keep him from noticing her wince. "No, not like me at all," she agreed, smiling enigmatically.

Just then a flurry of activity appeared at the entryway. Two men carried in what looked to Bella to be new suitcases, placing them in a stack by the door. Bella grinned. It didn't surprise her at all that Alice had bought out half of the shops in JFK to replenish her wardrobe.

While the director was blocking the door from view, she knew that the commotion just outside the door signaled that Alice had arrived. A man who sounded like a mid-level manager was apologizing for not understanding the importance of having Alice's bags delivered to the interview room. Bella heard Alice accept his apology, and then she entered the room in a flourish.

"Edward, it's so good to see you!" Bella heard Alice move across the room and drop her bag near her interviewing chair. Bella frowned.

_She knows better than to try and put that bag there. Gonna have to pick that up when I remember how to move._

Edward kept his eyes and his half-smile on Bella as he answered Alice. "Good to see you, too, Alice. How was Vermont?"

"Harrowing. You won't believe the story I have for you…" Alice enthused. Looking around, she said, "Wait, am I in the wrong room?"

"Your beautiful assistant says it's your room. I'm just heading out," he corrected, finally turning to face Alice. Bella stayed where she was and took in the view of his backside.

"You've seen Bella? Where is she?" Alice demanded, heading over to grab something out of one of her new pieces of luggage.

Edward lowered his eyebrows and turned back to Bella. "Don't feel bad that you're so new she doesn't remember you," he stage-whispered to her.

Bella let out a huge laugh. _Oh, if he only knew..._

"I won't feel bad," Bella giggled, smiling at his slightly confused expression. "Promise."

Alice interrupted the moment. "What the hell are you going on about, Edward? I don't have a new assistant – Bella's been with me from the beginning. Hell, the only reason I'm here right now is that Bella managed to call out the Vermont National Guard and break me out of a raging blizzard…"

"To be fair," Bella piped in, stepping around Edward so that Alice could see her clearly, "it was a couple of off-duty members of the National Guard Reserve."

Edward's muttered curse was drowned out by Alice's squeal of delight at seeing her best friend. She ran for Bella, wrapping her up in a hug usually reserved for a long-lost relative. "Holy shit, woman, you look great! I'm sending you to that spa more often!"

Bella laughed. "I don't know, Alice." Pulling away for air, she continued, "They made me sit through seven hours of forced beautification yesterday. That's just uncalled for, in my book."

"It may have been uncalled for, but it certainly isn't unwelcome! You look amazing."

Bella looked her best friend in the eyes and softly replied, "Thanks."

A studio assistant charged into the room. "Is Mr. Masen in here?"

Bella looked over at Edward's face, surprised at the blank look it held. "Uh-oh," she teased. "They found you."

Clearing his throat, he replied, "I'd better get to my own room."

Bella grinned. "Say 'hi' to the beautiful woman over there for me, okay?"

With a pained look and a tilt of his head, he left the room.

Alice watched him leave and then turned to Bella. "What was all THAT about?"

_Oh, Lord, get her off this topic as quickly as possible! Divert, divert!_

"Is your lipstick fading?" Bella asked.

Alice scanned the room frantically. "How much time do I have left?"

Bella looked at her watch. "Five minutes. Why don't you go fix it really quickly before you take a seat?"

Alice smiled at her, hands gripping her arms tight enough to leave red marks. Eyebrows raised, she announced, "We will be talking about this later."

Sighing, Bella nodded slowly. "I guessed that we would be."

With a small squeal, Alice ran for her purse and then dashed into the bathroom to make her final preparations.

* * *

><p>Bella was impressed that Alice sat through four interviews before cracking. During the change in interviewers, Bella brought Alice a small compact and lipstick for touch-ups, and Alice attacked.<p>

"So, who was there, Bella? C'mon, you can tell me…Riley? Liam? Garrett? Oh, oh – did you get to spend time with Aro?" Alice's awed tone of voice let Bella know she held him in high regard.

Bella's blush gave the answer away.

"Oh my God, you did!" Alice squealed. Lowering her voice, she begged, "You have to tell me your number!"

"No, I don't!" Bella hissed. "That's personal!"

"I'll tell you my number first," Alice offered, powdering the shine off her nose.

Bella softened a bit. As the next interviewer settled in, Alice pled her case with her eyes. Bella fidgeted in place, unsure if she wanted to share with Alice.

"Are we ready, Ms. Brandon?" the woman asked, obviously wanting Bella out of her shot.

As Bella retrieved the makeup, Alice leaned in and whispered a number in her ear. Vibrating with eagerness, she watched Bella as she collected the makeup from her and returned to her seat in the corner of the room. When it looked as if Bella wouldn't answer, Alice lifted her eyebrows.

_Oh, she REALLY wants to know – she just risked wrinkles to find out!_

Bella relented, holding up three fingers on one hand and two on the others.

Alice slumped, disappointed. Holding up all the fingers on one hand, she mouthed, "Five?"

Eyebrows down, Bella shook her head. Moving the hand with three fingers to one side, she mouthed back "thirty," moving the hand with two fingers to the other side, she whispered, "two."

Alice sat in the interview chair, stunned.

Being a consummate professional, Alice was able to complete the interview without too much difficulty. However, when all of the interviews were released a few days later, some of her fans focused on her stunned and spacey behavior in this one interview as evidence that Alice Brandon was, in fact, a lesbian as they had suspected all along and was completely enamored with the hot female interviewer from _The New Press_.

* * *

><p>Bella hated going to the studio cafeteria for lunch. First of all, the food was terrible, which was generally accepted because none of the movie stars actually ate their food anyway. Second, the "high-school-on-steroids" atmosphere – awarding status determined by the gross from your last picture, modified positively or negatively by awards won and honors given, and always adjusted positively if you were a director – was at once exasperating and mildly frightening. Those farther down the Hollywood food chain were required to pay a sort of homage to those farther up before even trying to get the food they wouldn't eat. It was a strict Hollywood rule, like "don't turn your back on the Queen," and you ignored it at your own peril.<p>

Alice had mastered the game ages ago, and Bella floated along in her wake as she deigned to visit only two tables – Harrison Ford's first, and then director David Cronenberg's – before hitting the lunch line. After Alice had directed them to a table off to the side, she basked in the attention of several "lesser" stars as they entered and left the cafeteria. Bella always saw it as a form of paying tribute to a liege so that they would look on you favorably in the future.

Bella took it all in as she usually did, starting in on the lunch items she felt were the least able to be damaged by the food service workers – soup and salad. As Alice joined her, picking through the salad to avoid the items she didn't want to eat, she turned to Bella and said, "Thanks for getting me back on time, Bella. I don't know how you did it, but it is a story for the ages."

Grinning, Bella replied, "I got the idea that it would be when you called me asking if I knew that the crazy old man trying to get you out of the resort said you could only take one bag. I thought you were going to blow a gasket!"

Alice laughed. "Well, the interstate slide-off was nearly as much fun as that one time we…" With a gasp, she quickly changed from gregarious storytelling to panic. "Oh, what the holy hell is this?"

Bella turned in the direction Alice was facing to see Edward Masen staring hotly right at the two of them. If Alice were not already seated, she would have had to go to his table to say "hello," but by no means should Edward Masen, director wunderkind of studio films, be strutting toward Alice's table like he was right now.

"Oh no, no, no, no," Alice chanted.

Keeping her eyes on Edward while leaning in Alice's direction, Bella whispered, "He shouldn't be coming to your table, should he?"

"He really should _not_ be," Alice hissed in reply. "People are going to think I'm a bitch and hard to work with if he doesn't back his shit up right…this…second…"

Edward was still heading straight for their table. Alice gave a small squeak and put a hand in front of her eyes.

Bella tried to be comforting. "I don't think he's going to stop here, Al…"

Edward stopped at the far edge of their table and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking as if he'd be willing to stand there forever until he was acknowledged. Bella noticed the room grow quiet as the other patrons noticed this extreme breach of Hollywood protocol.

"Okay," Bella whispered, turning her head slightly to her best friend. "I was wrong. He did stop here." Upon seeing Alice playing "If-I-don't-see-it-it-isn't-really-happening," Bella leaned over and whispered hotly, "Are you five, Alice? He's not going to disappear, so you might as well say something to him."

Alice snapped a dirty look at Bella and then looked forward, managing to squeak out, "Edward – how nice of you to stop by. What can I do for you?"

"Alice." He nodded in response. "I was hoping to be able to speak to Bella."

Alice looked to Bella, an entire conversation passing between their eyes, before turning back to Edward, who was still standing warily with his hands dug into his pockets.

"So talk to her," Alice encouraged.

Facing Bella, he took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "Bella, I wanted to apologize for my rude comments earlier. I hope you'll allow me to make it up to you. Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?"

Bella could feel all the remaining air in the room leave in a "whoosh" – not only had director Edward Masen approached actress Alice Brandon's table, an utterly unusual thing to have happened in the first place, now he was talking to her assistant? Old Bella would have collapsed under the weight of the attention focused on her right now. New Bella suddenly understood what Carlisle had said to her last week – there was a lot of power in being a woman. She'd never felt it before, and she reveled in it a bit, delaying her answer and letting him sweat.

Alice was nearly dumbstruck at the event unfolding in front of her. She did, however, realize that the rarity of the situation required an immediate response. Closing her mouth, which had been hanging open, she looked to Bella, who was gazing at Edward in a totally unfocused manner. Frantically, Alice searched for her iPhone, opened the calendar app, and answered for her silent friend. "We're booked most of the week – a couple of photo shoots, fittings, the usual. Bella might be free on Friday night, if she doesn't already have a date."

Edward responded, still looking at Bella warily. "Friday would be wonderful. That is, if you're available."

Bella smiled. "Alice doesn't have the latest updates. Let me check." Bella pulled out her iPad, checked her calendar, and saw that Alice had just made up the activities she'd told Edward about – in fact, Bella noticed that Alice was in a script read-through for a new project all week after today's press junket and before leaving on a worldwide press tour, so she would not need Bella's presence at all the rest of this week. Trying to keep her smug grin under wraps, Bella played along with Alice's lead, knowing she knew more about this game. "We _are_ very busy this week…"

"C'mon, you can see I'm making a rather large gesture here…"

Bella sat up straighter, giving him a withering look. "Well, you were rather rude, so that's only fair." She waited again, not to watch him sweat this time, but to feel the power flowing through her. She looked at her best friend and employer. "Alice, before I forget to mention it, the Friday afternoon appointment got moved to next Tuesday." She turned back to Edward. "That means, Mr. Masen, my time has just freed up on Friday evening. "

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

Bella nodded. "Yes."

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, he replied, "Great. Can I get your phone number so I can call you with the details?"

"Sure."

Edward pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it up with the name Bella Beautiful, and then he handed it over to her. With a smirk, she adjusted the name to Bella Mouse, and entered her number.

Looking at the screen when she handed him back the phone, he winced. "I'm going to have to do a lot of groveling, huh?"

Bella looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I think you may have that right."

Standing to his full height, he replied, "I'm up to the challenge." Giving her a slight bow, he continued, "I look forward to seeing you Friday, Bella. Sorry for interrupting your lunch, Alice."

Alice, attempting to salvage public perception of this extremely unlikely encounter, stood and offered her hand to Edward. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon."

Suddenly noticing the extreme interest in the goings on at Alice's table, Edward flushed and took Alice's hand. "It would be my pleasure."

As Edward turned and headed for the cafeteria line, Alice whipped around, sat down, and hissed at Bella, "Are you dickmatized? What the hell has gotten into you?"

Bella shook out of her dream-state and answered her friend. "Lots of things." Bella gave Alice a pointed look. "You're familiar with the ranch."

Alice got starry-eyed. "It's like a little slice of heaven, isn't it?"

"It was a very educational place, that's for sure."

"Do you want to know what I've always wondered?"

"Whether Edward Masen knows how to use his long, thick fingers, and whether or not they are in any way an indicator of what's he's got behind his belt?"

"NO! Well, yes…" Alice sputtered, "but that's not what I… damn, woman, that's what I'm thinking about NOW!" Muttering, she continued, "If you do start dating him, that's going to be awkward…"

Bella turned in her chair and threw her arms around Alice. "Have I thanked you yet for my week away?"

Alice sighed. "No. I was hoping you wouldn't hate me."

Nodding, Bella replied, "I could see how you might think that. It's a very unusual gift. But I have a feeling it's a gift that will keep on giving."

Alice laughed as she pulled away. "More like a gift that will keep you coming."

Bella grinned and looked in Edward's direction. "I certainly hope so."


	13. Oops, Did I Say That Out Loud?

Chapter 13 - **"Oops, Did I Say That Out Loud?"**

Arriving home after having dinner with her best friend, Bella drunkenly stumbled up her stairway.

Behind her, Alice snickered. "Are you ever graceful?"

"No," Bella replied morosely, trying and failing to get her key into the lock on her door. Alice sighed, took the keys from her hand, and easily opened the door.

Bella noticed that, while not quite obliterated, she was well on her way to plastered. She wondered at how alert Alice seemed. Suspiciously, she asked, "Why aren't you as drunk as I am?"

Alice snorted. "'Cause you're a lightweight! You only had two drinks and you're toasted!"

"Well, yeah, that's probably true." After a pause to kick her shoes in the general direction of her coat closet, Bella turned to face Alice. "Do you think that bartender was hitting on me?"

"Do I think so?" Alice headed for Bella's kitchen and began opening cabinets. "Uh, yeah! Barely gave me the time of day - and you know that's rare."

Bella thought about this new development in her life. "He's not as pretty as Ed-ward Ma-sen..." she sing-songed.

Alice laughed from the other room. "Well, sweetie, few men are that pretty. Are you excited?"

Confused, Bella asked, "About what?"

Exasperated, Alice replied, "Going out on a date with him Friday!"

Bella thought about it a minute. "When I stop to think about it later, I think I'll be nervous. Intimidated. I mean, I couldn't even talk to him during filming, he was so...so..._pretty_." Bella sighed. "You know, I'll probably feel like you sounded when you saw him heading toward us in the lunchroom today." Bella lurched for the kitchen so she could see Alice's face as she teased her. "Oh my God, Ali, the look on your face when he was heading for us was priceless! You looked like you just found out someone replaced your soy milk with really fattening oh-my-God-how-many-calories-IS-that regular old milk!"

Reviewing the line-up of Italian fruit sodas and the bottle of amaretto liqueur she'd placed on the breakfast bar, Alice looked up long enough to give Bella a piercing stare in an attempt to head her teasing off at the pass. Then she poured the contents of several bottles into a glass and handed it to Bella.

Bella frowned. "If I drink much more, I'm going to start getting handsy. I'm giving you fair warning."

Grabbing a bottle of water for herself, Alice chuckled. "What makes you think that's not what I'm aiming for?" After taking a sip of the alarmingly bright drink, Bella followed Alice into the living room and joined her on the couch, both women turned to face the middle.

"Okay, I'm done avoiding the elephant in the room." Alice began the "inappropriate comment" portion of the evening. "Holy shit, Bella. You had 32 orgasms at once!"

"Not at once," Bella corrected primly. "One after another."

"You're a Sex Goddess! Who knew? Shit – I had 19 and I can't remember half of them!"

"Well, I don't really remember all…"

"How long did it take? Do you even know? Aro must have quite the stamina!"

"The details are pretty fuzzy. And it wasn't just Aro."

Eyes wide, Alice stared at her. "What?"

Shrugging, Bella continued, "He was training a new guy. Young."

Alice vibrated with excitement. "How young?"

Bella fished in her side table as she answered. "Creepy young. Bieber young." Hoisting the book aloft, she cried, "Ha!" and turned to the correct page. Then she held up the book so Alice could see. "There – that's Alec."

Alice giggled. "Are you sure he was legal? And what the hell is this book?"

"Claimed to be twenty. And you know, listening to Aro tell Alec just what to do really ramped things up for me." Pointing at the book she was holding up, she continued, "And this is my sex journal - all the guys I had encounters with."

Snapping the book from Bella's hands, Alice flipped through it. "What the hell did you do to get a journal?"

"Everything." Bella answered happily, sinking back into the cushions. "God, it feels like I did everything." Sitting up suddenly, Bella cringed. "Can you forget I just said that? Pretend it never happened?"

Alice's canary-eating grin lit up her face. "You know that's unlikely." Flipping to the beginning of the book, Alice whistled and held up the open book. "Who is this cowboy, and why haven't I met him before?"

Bella blushed furiously. "That's Jasper. I was thinking of leaving early on, but he convinced me to stay."

Giggling, Alice asked, "Did he wave his magic wand?"

Earnestly, Bella replied, "No. He likes to use his mouth. Everywhere." Catching Alice's eyes, Bella stepped up to the "inappropriate comment" plate and knocked one out of the park. "Did you know if a guy sucks on your toes just right it makes your pussy throb?"

Shock coloring her face, Alice answered, "No." Alice's eyes dropped to Bella's journal as she flipped to the next page.

Bella nodded. "It really does." Humming at remembered pleasure, Bella continued, "And he was sweet, too. He called me beau..."

"Oh my God, is that Emmett McCarty?"

Sighing, Bella nodded. "How am I ever going to be satisfied with fast food now that I've had gourmet meals?"

"What the hell are you babbling about?"

"It's a mefa..mef..." Bella stopped and collected her thoughts, then started over. "Me…ta…phor. Food as sex."

"That's kinda out there, B," Alice stated seriously.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Bella asked, "How do you go on normal dates after having been at the ranch?"

Alice sighed and answered in a serious tone, "I can't have normal dates anyway, so I don't really have any advice to give you on that."

Bella looked over to her best friend teetering on the cusp of moroseness and launched herself across the couch to pull her into a hug. "We'll find a way for you to have normal dates, Ali, promise…"

"Doesn't matter." Eyeing the picture at hand, she perked up again. "Was Emmett any good? Did he have any special talents?"

"Like what? Flower arranging?"

Alice snorted. "What did you **do **with him, B?"

Bella brightened. "Oh! I watched him jack off. Nice show! Then he broke a two-year drought for me, and I got to watch the whole thing in lots of different mirrors. It was awesome!"

Alice looked as if she'd swallowed her tongue for a minute. "Wow. Okay."

"I mean, the man has no shame – at all. Why?"

"I'm thinking maybe I should arrange a relationship with him," Alice declared.

"What the hell are you talking about, 'arrange' a relationship?"

"Just what I said. It's a win-win situation," Alice said excitedly. "I get a hot guy to show off in public, awesome sex more often than the few weeks a year I can get out to the ranch, and he gets great media exposure as my boyfriend. Everyone wins!"

"What if you don't _like _him?" Bella asked quizzically.

"I'm an actress. I'll _pretend _to like him if he'll do a good job scratching my itch."

"I don't know – I'd want to be able to talk to a guy, like I did with Carlisle. He was soooo easy to talk to…"

Chuckling, Alice asked, "Did you do a lot of talking?"

"Sure!" Bella replied. "He was my coordinator-guy, so we talked about how each encounter went, what I might want to try next…"

Alice looked confused. "You talked about all that stuff?"

"Don't _you _talk about that stuff?"

"Not really. It would get in the way of all the fucking."

"Well, then, how do you know what you want to do next?" Bella quizzed her.

"I send a list ahead of stuff I want to do. They need prep time since I like to role-play. You know, star quarterback and head cheerleader, librarian and student…"

Bella turned a bit green. "I don't know if I want to know this much about…"

"Oh, OH!" Alice shouted. "I have the greatest naughty secretary outfit…that one was great! Liam ripped my panties right off during that one!"

Bella cocked her head to the side. "Wouldn't that hurt?"

"I didn't _care_," Alice replied. Turning to the next page in Bella's journal, Alice immediately identified the man in the photo. "Demetri!"

Bella groaned. "His mouth was so wet-perfect-soft. I need to think of a word for that, because that's what his mouth was."

Alice nodded in agreement. "He is a world-class kisser, I agree."

Bella giggled tipsily. "His hands aren't bad either. And he was really good with the dirty talk. He had lots of filthy, dirty words. I liked him a lot."

Grinning, Alice responded, "I can tell."

"Do you know what else I like a lot? I like being watched. A lot. A LOT, a lot."

_Whoops, slipped into overshare right there. I really need to stop drinking now._

"Wait, you mean like having sex in public?" Alice asked, sounding scandalized.

"Not on the front lawn or anything," Bella replied as she sipped her drink, "but I liked being watched by other…interested parties. And knowing that I'm being filmed does it for me, too."

Nodding, Alice directed her attention back to the book in her hands. "I'm glad you learned that about yourself, B, truly." Turning the page again, Alice whispered in awe, "You had an encounter with the Zen-Fucking-Master?"

Bella realized her confusion must have been plain on her face when Alice held up the book so she could see it more clearly.

"Oh - Felix. Yeah. He was so nice!"

"Nice? Bella, Felix is known for injuring more women than anyone else on the ranch with his crazy sex-in-advanced-yoga-positions self. How did a klutz like you survive him?"

"Alice!" Bella protested. "Felix is a great guy!"

Alice just rolled her eyes in response.

"He asked if he could worship me. That was the most amazingly sweet thing anyone has ever asked me, you know - 'Would you let me worship you?'"

Smiling, Alice replied, "I'm glad, B. You deserve nice moments like that."

"Oh! And he definitely had a thing for my hair!"

Alice laughed heartily. "Did he?"

Bella nodded her head vigorously to back up her previous statement. Alice lowered her eyes to Bella's book again, and said, "I don't know this guy. Who is he?"

Bella felt the flush crawl up her cheeks. "That's Carlisle.'

"Carlisle? _Carlisle_, Carlisle?"

"Yeah," Bella sighed happily.

"I thought he just ran the place?"

"He said he was the owner and manager…"

Alice nodded. "You know, I've never met him. Is he as smoking hot in person as he sounds on the phone?"

"Hotter." Bella's blush deepened as she leaned in to whisper, "I sucked his cock."

Alice sat, stunned. "Well, yeah, I would hope so."

"He showed me how to do it right. So I can make a guy enjoy it now."

Anger flittered across Alice's face. "For the last time, Bella, I'm telling you, that Tyler guy was a weirdo. What guy doesn't like a blowjob, even if it's an unskilled one? And then to say you were bad at it was just poor form. You need to forget that loser ever happened. That's all I'm saying."

Bella nodded into her glass, having heard the argument before. "He was dressed up like a professor, you know. Carlisle. He gave a detailed lecture on fellatio. It was kind of cool, kind of creepy…"

"Well, it sounds kind of...dull," Alice replied, her nose scrunched in distaste.

"Well, it was more exciting when he bent me over his desk and fucked me before I got on the helicopter to come home." _Oh, again with the oversharing._

Choking on her drink, Alice replied, "Really, now?"

"Fuck, yeah," Bella replied. "I'm still feeling that one days later."

"Good, then?"

"Hottest thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know how a regular guy could compare."

Agreeing, Alice said, "Yeah, I've run into that problem myself."

Turning to face Alice again, Bella asked, "How come you kept this place a secret from me?"

Alice snorted. "What should I have said? Hey, I went to this spa Angelina recommended, and damn if it wasn't a brothel that I plan to go back to over and over again! Wanna come?" She rolled her eyes at herself. "You would have run screaming for the hills, B."

"You may have a point," Bella agreed. "I'm really happy I got to go, though."

"I'm so glad it worked, B."

"Yeah, I never would have tried half the stuff I did at the ranch if Carlisle hadn't encouraged me to explore..."

"So he had to _encourage _you to try things? Did he push you? I'll kill him if he pushed you..."

"God, no, Alice. He just...drew pieces of me out that I had pretty well hidden from myself." Giggling, she continued. "And if he pushed me too far, I could have just asked Jane for another lesson to help keep him in line."

"Wait...Mistress Jane? You met Mistress Jane? You got a _lesson _from Mistress Jane?"

"Yeah. She had a screw loose, though. If she weren't so into bossing people around, I think I could have liked her."

"Oh, really?"

"Sure. Once she got over the fact that I wasn't wearing the right clothes and didn't know how to spank a guy, she was very helpful."

Alice clutched her side as she laughed. "Wait! You spanked a guy? Really?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah. I didn't like it too much. But I did like screwing with Carlisle's mind. THAT was awesome!"

"Hold on, hold on - how many times did you have encounters with Carlisle? You said the beej lesson, the desk fucking, and now there was a spanking demo?"

"Yeah. And the dry humping when I got there. That was the sexiest! He read me poetry and felt me up until I came. It was perfect!"

"Well, weren't you just the owner's pet..."

Bella frowned. "No, actually, he was mine." Grinning, she continued. "Well, at least for an hour or so..."

"Only an hour, huh?"

"Yeah, it takes a lot of energy to fuck with a guy's head. Who knew?"

Alice's grin seemed permanently affixed to her face. "Was that everything? I can't imagine what else you'd have been able to fit into a week."

"Well, there was the group sex in the woods, and then getting fucked in the barn - yeah, I think that's all of them."

Alice's eyebrows were nearly as high as her hairline.

_She'd better quit it or she's gonna have to make a botox appointment!_

After a few moments of silence, Bella said, "I'm really glad I stayed, Alice."

"I'm glad you did, too."

Bella sighed, thinking about her whirlwind week and the amazing gift of self-knowledge her friend had inadvertently given her by offering to pay when she accidentally found herself...

"Wait a minute," Bella spoke up. "You're so glad what worked?"

Stirring herself out of her contemplative state, Alice asked, "What are you talking about, Bella?"

"Earlier you said, "I'm so glad it worked.' Did you plan something, Alice?" Bella sat up straight on the couch. "What did you do?"

Alice gave an innocent look. "I don't know what you're talking about." Standing up, she picked up Bella's empty glass and announced, "You need more alcohol!"

"I know you're a great actress, but_ I _can always tell when you're lying." Bella thought over the past month. "I knew you were acting weird! First you tell me not to come along on this press junket, which you _never _do, then you gave away a perfectly good Oscar goodie basket - that just happens to have a gift certificate for a spa?" Bella frowned. "That should have raised a red flag - what spa could afford to give away that many free visits?"

"Spas give away gift certificates in goodie baskets all the time!" Alice protested.

"They give away discounts, not whole visits." Tumblers clicked into place in Bella's mind. 'You arranged the whole thing? The time off, the gift certificate in the goodie basket, going to the ranch, _everything_?"

A bit of panic crossed Alice's face. "What if I did? Would you be mad?"

"What the hell, Alice? Did you sit around thinking, 'Poor Bella, always dates my asshole cast-offs, never been well-fucked, I'll send her to get schooled in sex so she's not such a loser?'"

"It wasn't like that at all!" Alice disagreed. "I was thinking of you."

"Oh, you were, were you? How do you figure that one?"

"I wanted you to be happy! You haven't been happy in so long, B! I'm just trying to do the right things to make you happy again!"

Bella blinked in surprise. "What the hell are you talking about, Alice Brandon?"

"You think I don't know, Bella?" Alice replied. "You honestly think that I don't know you hate calling all the pretentious little gatekeepers trying to set up appointments, that you hate rearranging my schedule over and over again so that it won't overwhelm me, that you hate having to call security firms just so I can go Christmas shopping? You're trying to allow me to have as much of a normal life as possible, and you think I don't know that it means your life is just as fucked up as mine?"

"But I want to help you. I'm supposed to help you."

"Help, B, yes. Raise, no. I'm a big girl – I _can _do it myself, you know."

Bella lifted her eyebrows and remained silent.

"Okay, I _should_ do it by myself," Alice corrected. "And I think it's time for you to stop being my assistant and go back to being just my friend. I want you to finish your degree. Do something you _want _to do, for a change. Not just babysit me."

"But you're my friend. I want to protect you. And maybe I don't want to go back to school."

"Give me a break, B. I know better, and so do you," Alice answered. "We have been focused on my life for long enough. And anyway, I'm almost 30. It's time for me to start handling some of my own shit."

Bella exhaled. "I don't think this is a good idea."

Alice nodded. "It is. I promise. And it's not like I'm not going to hire another assistant. You can train them way you want so they do the job just like you would."

Bella sighed. "Okay." Wringing her hands together nervously, she repeated, "Okay."

Alice smiled. "This will be good. You'll see. You won't have to deal with all this shit for me anymore. It'll be so much better! You can enjoy school, and we can be best friends again! Then maybe we can talk about stuff without having it always turn into a discussion about some part of my stupid life."

"Okay," Bella replied tentatively, still unsure. Trying to convince herself, she repeated the phrase like a mantra. "Okay. Okay...okay...okay."

"I'm so happy for you, B!" Alice enthused. "I've already put money aside for you to go - all you have to do is tell me which school you want to go to, and you're all set."

"All set?" Bella asked quietly. Looking up at Alice, she asked, "You're paying for me to go back to school?"

"Of course I am!" Alice smiled. "And you're thrilled with the idea, too!"

Bella tilted her head. "I don't know if I am or not."

"You are, sweetie, I promise."

"It's been a long time since we were in school, Alice. What if I don't remember how to do it?"

"You'll be fine. And you'll have me as a cheerleader - won't that be great?" Alice laughed. "And I'm really good at cheerleading - I have references!" she added with a wink.

A small smile broke over Bella's face. "I'm going back to school."

"And you're dating Edward Masen!"

"It's _a_ date, Alice," Bella replied. "Not _dating_. Just one date. And it will probably end in disaster, so let's not anticipate any more, okay?"

"Why would you say that? You've got all these new skills..."

"Alice, I'm still me, even after a week at the ranch. I'll still be nervous as hell, probably say something completely inappropriate like how much I want to just hump the man, and he'll run screaming from me like every other guy I've ever dated."

"But you were flirting with him today! You were great! Smart-assed, lots of confidence - why couldn't you be just like that?"

"I think I'm running off a ranch-induced high. It can't last." Bella's face fell. "And what the hell would we even talk about? The only thing we have in common is...you!"

Alice groaned. "If you sit around and talk that man's ear off, I'm going to smack you! You flirt, you feed his ego, and you drag his ass somewhere and rock his socks off!"

"Rock his socks off?" Bella replied, dryly.

"Would you rather I say fuck his brains out?"

"NO!" Giggling, Bella continued, "Aren't you supposed to be encouraging me _not _to have sex on the first date?"

Alice scoffed. "No. Especially if you don't think you have much in common with him. Get the sex while you can, woman. Word is he's competent, if not creative."

"Okay, it's disturbing that you know this."

"It's Hollywood. Gossip abounds. Plus I know the right people."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "And you found this info out about Edward Masen when? Today? I don't think so." Bella thought about it, and the answer came to her. "You were thinking about sexing him up during the shoot!"

Alice blushed and ducked her head. "Okay, yeah, I was thinking about it. Let's say I was open to the possibility if he happened to approach me, did my due diligence, but he didn't make a move. So that's the end of that story." She laughed. "I'll just have to get all the good dirt from you!"

Bella groaned. "I'm going to need more to drink before I even think about that. Are you going to join me, finally? Or do you need to sneak something else past me?"

Alice smiled. "No, I'm all done with scheming for today."

Smirking, Bella replied, "Good, then get a drink and join me, best friend."

"Okay!" The grin on Alice's face could have lit all of Hollywood as she sped off to the kitchen.


	14. Second Place

Chapter 14 - **Second Place**

It was a fact: Edward Masen was the hottest man she'd even seen up close and in person.

It was a good thing she got all hot and bothered just looking at him, because he seemed unable to keep his attention on her. It was like going out to a club with Alice, only Edward didn't feel bad about interrupting their date at all. Every time a fellow director or other Hollywood type sidled up to them as they waited for their table in the bar, Edward willingly talked shop and didn't even introduce her or beg her pardon before ignoring her existence. After being abandoned at their table so that he could greet another potential collaborator, Bella decided she didn't like coming in last, and she was going to stab him with her one of her forks when he returned – she'd pick the one with the most tines, so it would hurt more.

After appreciating his backside for an unknown amount of time, Bella sent Alice a text asking if it was rude to leave an empty dinner table and ditch a date. Alice wrote back, assuring her it was poor form, but she agreed it was about all she could do after being abandoned for fifteen minutes. However, Alice warned her she needed to wait the full fifteen minutes - no cheating allowed. Since Bella didn't really know how long she'd been waiting, she huffed and smacked the phone face down on the table a bit too forcefully before taking a swig of her wine.

"It won't do any good to get upset," a voice stated from Bella's left side, causing her to jump. "I hope you know enough about Hollywood to realize that this situation you're in is really pretty standard."

Bella turned her head and gaped in shock at finding Rosalie Hale, wife of famous director Royce King, standing at her table. Bella decided Rosalie was even more beautiful in person than she was in photographs, and she was plenty attractive in those. Looking around her to be sure she was the intended recipient of Ms. Hale's comments, Bella noted there was no one else in the vicinity that she could be speaking to.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand…?"

"Do you mind if I sit?" Rosalie asked.

Bella waved her into the empty chair across the table from her. Ms. Hale slipped neatly into it and continued. "You've started off all wrong. My guess is you're doing dinner and the DGA Movie of the Month, am I right?"

Blanching slightly, Bella nodded. Seeing the Director's Guild's monthly offering was what Edward had outlined for their date tonight while they were in the limo.

"It's a first or second date, or I would have heard your name by now. Hollywood is really quite a small town."

Bella nodded her acknowledgment of this statement. "First date. If this is normal, it just might be the last date." Confused, she asked, "What did I do wrong?"

Rosalie took a drink of Edward's wine, made a face, and replied, "It's really tough to see this when you're in the moment, and I'm speaking from years of watching directors and producers operate in this town. There's nothing you could have done. You couldn't have known he'd use your date as a networking opportunity. By coming along with him and not making a fuss, you've indicated to him that you're willing to take a back seat to his career. So he's run off to chat with other directors...he's been talking with the Coppolas, at least. It's really annoying when you're being ditched for someone like Brett Ratner – he's an overgrown frat boy if I've ever seen one."

Bella raised her eyebrows in a silent show of support for Rosalie's assessment of Ratner. "I think if the frat boys had heard you say that, their feelings would be hurt."

Rosalie laughed and held out her hand. "I'm Rosalie Hale."

Bella took the proffered hand and shook it. "Bella Swan."

"Are you in the industry, Bella?"

"I'm Alice Brandon's PA for a couple more months then I'm headed back to school."

Smiling, Rosalie continued, "Good. Get out while you can. And don't try for a Hollywood relationship if you're getting out, either. Otherwise it's fifteen years of being left at the dinner table while your man talks business, and you're sitting around wondering which new surgical procedure you should try so you can prevent a younger model from talking your place and if your prenup is as airtight as it seemed to be when you first had your lawyer look it over."

"Oh," Bella said, stunned at the revelations Rosalie was letting loose tonight. Looking over at Edward, she sighed, "That's a shame."

"It really is, especially since Masen is amazing eye candy," Rosalie replied. Seeing that Edward had broken off his socializing and was headed for the table, she turned to Bella and cheerfully declared, "Time's up!" Leaning in as she stood, she whispered, "Make him pay for making you wait, okay?"

"Rosalie," Edward called as he approached the table, "were you wanting to join us for dinner?" Bella was surprised at the offer – and more shocked that he actually seemed to mean it.

Rosalie looked down at Bella, lifted an eyebrow, and said, "I think your date would object. And Royce is talking to some mattress calling herself an actress in the bar. I'd better go retrieve him if I want any dinner before being exposed to another Kurasawa."

Edward smiled. "It's a modern era film tonight. No samurais in sight."

Rosalie kept eye contact with Bella. "Small mercies, then. I suppose we'll see you later."

"Looking forward to it. Tell Royce I'd love to discuss his new project with him later."

"Of course." Rosalie turned to Edward and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "But don't ignore your lovely date anymore, okay?"

"She is beautiful, isn't she?" Edward replied. "See you soon."

As more than one man in the room watched, Rosalie Hale sauntered away. Edward sat in the chair she vacated.

"I'm sorry I took so long, but you can't say no when a Coppola wants to speaks to you."

Bella's eyebrows lowered. She knew there were a lot of Coppolas in directing, but she'd recognized the actor Edward had been speaking to. "But you were talking to Nicolas Cage," she replied quizzically.

Edward looked at her as if she'd just given him bad numbers on an opening weekend. "You really don't follow Hollywood, do you?"

Bella's head slowly moved side to side. "I really don't."

Irritated with having to explain, he answered, "Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Coppola." After taking a drink of his wine and proclaiming it pretty good, he asked, "If you're not a Hollywood junkie, how did you end up working for Alice, then? Seems like an odd choice for a person uninterested in Hollywood."

"Alice was my college roommate. When things started to get scary for her, around the time 'Love Spelled Backwards is Love' started making waves, I started to fear for her safety and kind of nominated myself to take care of her. I've been with her ever since."

Nodding, Edward smiled. "What were you majoring in? I'm guessing it wasn't film studies?"

"No," she agreed.

"So something physical? Criminal justice? Phys ed?"

Grinning, Bella replied, "English."

Edward's face registered his surprise. "So, you're a writer, then?"

"No, I enjoy analyzing, pulling out meanings, synthesizing information..."

"That sounds like directing." Edward offered.

"Maybe. But without all the pesky people with their own opinions..."

"That's true. But there are still opinions to be dealt with."

"Yes, but writers have differences in journals, at a physical distance. Easier to ignore."

"I prefer to challenge my actors and to have them challenge me. In my opinion, integration of the best ideas produces the best results."

Bella nodded. "I could see that about you on set. You're pretty non-hierarchical, for a director."

"Wow, you made that sound like 'you're pretty thoughtful, for an egomaniac,'" he laughed.

Bella winced. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that," she protested.

Edward defended himself. "You have to have some ego as a director, or no one will invest money in your vision. You have to be totally committed to an idea...and it looks like megalomania to other people. But it's part of the game."

Bella felt her face heat. "That's the part that makes me scream...having to play the Hollywood game."

"Hollywood is just the world writ large," he proclaimed expansively. "There's gamesmanship everywhere - in every job. But it happens on a much larger scale here. You have to be on top of your game to play in these waters, and I've done a pretty good job of riding the waves."

Bella kept her mouth shut at his display of braggadocio. Thankfully the waiter approached them at that point, and the conversation turned to other topics.

* * *

><p>Bella decided it was a good thing Edward Masen kissed her the way he did after he brought her home from their first date, or she never would have had sex with him.<p>

After they'd hit on the topic of filmmaking, the rest of their brutally uncomfortable conversation touched on the Kurasawa film they were seeing later that evening, and current movies' opening weekends, and bankable actors, and so on, until Bella decided that Edward couldn't have hit any more topics she was less interested in unless he started talking about sports.

When he took her home to Alice's estate north of Malibu, he walked her to the door of her apartment above the garage. As she climbed the steps, she tried to come up with a way to tell him that she didn't think they should go out again.

_Lemme see, even though you're the most fuckhot man I've ever seen, this evening was a bust. But if you'd like to come in and have no-strings-attached sex, I could be persuaded…_

She opened her mouth to speak, and he unexpectedly closed the two feet between them in a single stride. He wrapped one of his hands around her back, pressing her chest up and into his, while the other hand sat low on her hip, his thumb stroking her hipbone as his long fingers cupped her backside and pulled her hips flush with his. He kissed her, and his tongue worked some sort of magical spell, each stroke and thrust erasing the worst of the awfulness from earlier in the evening.

_So totally up for this! Do you fuck as good as you kiss, boss-man?_

After a few minutes, Edward pulled away from her, placing his forehead to hers. When he caught his breath a bit, he said, "I know this evening was a disaster, Bella. Felt like I was tied to the train tracks all night, watching the train barreling down on me. Part of my brain saw every place things went wrong, and I was unable to do a damn thing about it. You're just so fucking sexy I couldn't even think straight and..."

She heard Edward talking but was distracted from the meaning of his words by the feel of him: his back under her fingers, their foreheads touching and the two of them sharing breaths, his leg between hers, and his firmness pressed way too far north of where it needed to be to be useful to her. She moved, pressing herself harder against him, causing him to groan in response.

_Okay, that's it. No more talking. I'm going to get this show started._

Bella jerked the collar of his shirt down and pressed her lips to his, right in the middle of his dissertation on how awful their date was. When he had re-focused on her mouth after his initial surprise, she pulled back and asked, "You passed your physical for your next shoot, right?"

Edward's brow furrowed in confusion at the change in topic. "Yeah, I always do. Why?"

"Because now that I know that, I can do this," she replied, moving his hands from her body to rest on either side of her head against the wall of her apartment. With his hands out of the way, she began unbuckling his belt and unfastening his pants. "The moon's pretty full, so you can't move around too much, or you'll draw the attention of people on the beach."

As she slid down the wall, he asked, "What the…what are you doing, Bella?"

"Be as quiet as you can," she instructed him as she pulled his pants down just far enough to free his cock.

"Just how quiet do you think I can be if you're going to do what I'm honestly praying to God you're going to do, Bella?" he hissed at the top of her head.

"We're about to find out. Look at your gorgeous cock!" she exclaimed quietly, untucking and unbuttoning the bottom of his dress shirt so that it could provide her a bit more cover from the beach walkers. Wrapping a hand around him, she looked him right in the eyes, seeing his disbelief, fear, and excitement as she touched his cock to her lips.

"Holy fucking shit," he groaned, shuffling his feet a bit farther apart to steady himself.

Wrapping both hands around his thighs, she could feel how his body snapped to attention as she took him into her mouth. She reveled in the moan Edward gave, and the naughty feeling she got from the possibility of being seen. She heard the rustle of his clothing as he turned his head to either side of her balcony, checking to see if anyone was watching.

Bella took it as a personal affront that he was able to think of anything else while his cock was in her mouth and headed right into the next step she'd learned. As she skimmed her teeth up and down the sides of his cock, she moved her hands up under his shirt to his ass, so she could feel him flex and buck in response. When she looked up at him again, she could see that he'd gritted his teeth to help keep himself quiet, the muscles in his neck straining from his effort.

_Well, that will never do. I can make you break, boss-man. Watch me._

Moving her hands to the front of his thighs, Bella drew his cock into her mouth for several short strokes before moving as far down it as she dared. Edward's hips pushed forward in response, causing her to hit her head on the wall behind her. Panicked, she shoved his thighs to move him backward.

"Shit, sorry, sorry, sorry," he panted, "please don't stop."

After a quick warning glance up at him, Bella returned to shallow pulls on his cock. She was surprised when he brought one of his hands down to caress her face and then trace the line of her lips as they wrapped around him.

_You like my lips, do you? That's valuable information, Mr. Masen…_

After a quick, deep suck, she moved her head back and pumped him a few times with her hand. When enough fluid had gathered on the tip of his cock, she regained his eyes and brushed the tip of his cock over her lips as if she were putting on lipstick.

"Fuck," Edward rasped, wrapping a hand around hers and helping to paint her mouth. "God, yes, put it right on those pretty lips. So good."

Bella plunged her mouth down onto him several times, applying suction after she was sure to go far enough down to capture his index finger between her lips. The deep, guttural sounds that left his body lit a fire in her own.

As she plunged back down on him again, his hand left his cock and tangled in the hair at the side of her head. He gave a few gentle tugs to demonstrate his desire, and as she took his direction, his grip eased.

After a few more passes of her mouth, Bella felt his knees begin to shake. "Damn…so… good," he grunted, "gonna…come…"

Knowing he was so close, Bella redoubled her efforts, applying more suction and speeding up her movements. Ragged gasps sounded from above her, and Bella turned her eyes up to his face to see his reaction. Edward's head was thrown back, leaving her unable to see his face, but she was able to see his arms straining and feel his legs shaking from the pleasure she was giving him. She hummed in excitement, and his head snapped forward, eyes on her as he moaned, "I'm...I…"

Remembering her lesson and previous experience, she took him in as far as she could and swallowed as he came. It required her full concentration, and she'd broken eye contact with Edward to focus on not making a mistake and choking. That was how, even though her hands were once again on his ass, she missed the fact that he was collapsing from the force of his orgasm until he was already on the way down. Once she realized what was happening, she didn't try to break his fall; she simply shuffled to one side, hitting one of his knees and turning him sideways as he fell.

When his tumble was complete, she looked over to see him sitting on his ankles on her deck, his side pressed up against the wall of the house, his eyes screwed shut, and his breathing harsh and deep. Bella thought his painfully beautiful features flushed with satisfaction and his clothing askew made him look like a portrait of a fallen angel, and she drank in the sight.

Sighing, she brought a hand to his face. When his eyes barely cracked open, she smiled. Giggling softly, she said, "Don't go anywhere," and stood up, picking up her purse and retrieving her keys. After opening her door, she threw her purse on the table in the entryway, kicked off her shoes, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and quickly drained half of it, and then tucked another one under her arm. She went back to her balcony through the nearby sliding glass door.

Edward had moved to lean back against the wall of the apartment; his clothes were mostly back in order. Bella grabbed a lounge chair and hauled it over to his side. When she sat down on the chair and placed a bottle of water down beside him, his eyes followed her movements.

"You…that was…so…" His hand jerked up and made a movement as if to wipe all his previous mumblings away. Looking in her eyes, he simply said, "Thank you."

With a smile and a bit of a blush, she replied, "You're welcome," and then leaned back in her chair and sat by his side, both of them contemplating the view of the ocean before them.

Just when she began to worry that she might have broken him, she heard Edward pick up the bottle of water and take several large swigs. Rolling to her side, she watched as he finished the drink, set it down, and then knelt by her chair. Leaning over, he rested his head in her lap, eyes facing her feet, and used one of his hands to uncross her legs. Making slow passes over the top of the thigh closest to him, he raised her skirt up until the hem was tucked under his cheek.

Changing his pattern, he brought his fingers to the inside of her thigh. Her legs immediately opened a bit, and his hand moved from stroking her leg to putting pressure on the center of her panties. When she groaned, he lifted his head and fumbled over the arm of the chair in an effort to kiss her. With a growl of frustration, he levered himself up onto the chair with her, settling between her legs, and then kissed from her mouth to her jaw to her neck.

As he shuffled up to sit on his knees, he yanked his dress shirt off over his head, and then he reached for her hips and started to remove the scrap of lace she was wearing. When Bella had struggled with this same activity with Jasper, she'd thought through how she'd handle it the next time and was glad to have a plan in place. She brought her feet to Edward's chest and used them for leverage to lift her hips so that he could easily remove her underwear. After the lace had disappeared, Edward took her feet in his hands, brought them to his mouth, kissed each ankle, and put her feet down on either side of his thighs. His hands smoothed over her calves, around her knees, up her thighs, and stopped right before reaching where they joined the rest of her.

With his thumbs brushing over the very highest point possible on her inner thighs without actually touching anything too overtly stimulating, he leaned in to kiss her lips and then her breasts through her dress. Scooting down until his legs left the chair, he lifted her dress to kiss her bare stomach before using his hands to push her legs farther apart and placing his mouth right where Bella was aching for it to be, causing her to shout in delight.

_Dear God, thank you for answering my prayer…okay, dirty fantasy…of having Edward Masen's mouth on my pussy…the sight is just as amazing as I thought it would be…_

Without direction from her brain, her hands wove into his hair, and when his tongue found her clit, her fingers clenched in response. Her grip tightened with each long, velvet stroke, until finally he had to turn his attention to removing her hands from his over-sensitized scalp. Afterward, he returned to his spot between her legs, but this time he kept eye contact with her, watching each of her twisting movements and panting reactions to his mouth and fingers as they worked her into a frenzy.

Needing to do something with her hands to keep them from returning to the exact spot he'd removed them from, Bella threaded them through the hair on the top of her own head, pulling and twisting as she yelped in pleasure with Edward's continued attentions to her clit. He would lick and then pause, waiting for her reaction, and then stroke his fingers into her, seeing if that caused a different response. Bella felt her frustration rise.

_Are you pleasing or teasing, jackass?_

When she'd had enough, she growled, "Damn it, no more! I need to come!"

Edward pulled away from her, causing her to whimper. She heard his clothes rustling, followed by a foil wrapper being opened and a condom being rolled on. She felt him crawling up the lounge chair, kissing random points on her body as he climbed. When he got to her mouth, he reached up to the top of the lounger and pulled sharply, causing it to release from its inclined position and to fall back flat. As she squeaked in surprise at the unexpected movement, Edward guided himself into her. His first push caused her to clench with pleasure, and he wrapped his hand around her knee to lift it up and open her body to his. After a couple more strokes, his body was tightly pressed against hers, her arms wrapped around his back.

"God, you feel so good," he moaned before asking, "you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, wrapping her other leg around his hip as well. Putting both of his hands by her shoulders, he began to push and pull, their bodies sliding and rubbing in just the right way to draw Bella to the edge of the abyss. Grabbing Edward's ass, she cried, "Don't…stop…God, I'm gonna…."

She felt Edward's thrusts strengthen as her back arched, and in what seemed like forever but was actually less than a minute, she flew into an orgasm. As she howled and scratched at his back, he hissed and pushed and groaned his release soon after, collapsing on top of her.

Bella felt the blood racing through her veins as she reveled in the feeling of Edward's body pressed to hers. She ran her hands over his back, soothing and calming him after his exertions on their behalf. It was in this afterglow that Bella was surprised to hear a static-filled voice impede on their evening.

"Base, I am attempting to locate the disturbance reported," a voice floated up to her. She tensed in response as she heard her address being rattled off.

_Oh, Holy Mother of Fuckery, wouldn't this be a tabloid sensation?_

"What's wrong?" Edward asked sleepily.

"Beach patrol. We need to get inside – hurry!"

Groaning, Edward lifted himself up off of her and grabbed on to his pants, pulling them up as he stood. She scooted off the lounge chair and fussed with her dress for a second before scooping up Edward's shirt and shoes with one hand, taking his hand with the other, and scrambling to open the sliding glass door. Once she had, she threw the clothes inside, pushing him in after and saying "bathroom's in the hallway on the left." Then she turned back to the balcony and frantically searched for her panties as she heard footsteps climbing her stairs. Unable to find them, she ducked into the house and drew the curtains just before the security guard came into view.

Adrenaline raced through her as a knock sounded on her front door. "Security! Ms. Brandon? Is everything okay in there?"

Bella froze. Edward opened the door to the bathroom, still shirtless, flicking off the light and moving into the living room. Bella held a finger in front of her mouth, indicating she wanted him to stay quiet. He nodded and motioned for her to come to him on the other side of the room. Knees shaking, she headed over to him, jumping when another knock sounded.

Finally, she reached Edward, and he pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back to help calm her. "Holy shit, we almost got caught!" he whispered eagerly in her ear. "Did you get off on that as much as I did?"

Bella huffed out a laugh. "I don't know. How much did you get off on it?"

Pulling her hips to his, Edward pressed his hard cock into her as he kissed her, and all attempts at calm were lost. His mouth plundered hers, sucking and biting and soothing, and she shook from the force of the desire that sparked between them.

Suddenly, a light appeared at her kitchen window. Edward shuffled the two of them over to the couch and pulled her on top of him as he sat down. When the light disappeared, he pulled her dress off over her head and ravished her breasts with his mouth. When the light reappeared at her sliding glass door, Edward moaned and moved her hands to his naked cock. She looked down to see him opening another condom. She helped him roll it on and quickly settled down onto him while the light continued to flash through the curtains over her glass doors.

Edward flexed his hips upward, causing Bella to grunt in pleasure and Edward to shush her. His hands urged her to move on him, and she complied, bracing her hands on the back of the couch as she lifted herself up and down. His eyes were glued to her breasts as he muttered a quiet litany of encouragement, "Yeah, baby, so good, ride me, that's it, baby, yessss…" until the light danced away from Bella's window. Then Edward braced his feet on the floor and pushed his hips up into her hard, and she lost the leverage to move at all. She rode out his thrusts as he raced along, one hand pulling her against him as he heaved upward, the other hand manipulating her clit.

She opened her mouth to tell him she was coming, but all that came out was a couple of "ah" sounds and then a silent scream as she curled in on herself and fell over the edge. Edward grunted through five or six more thrusts before joining her, collapsing on the couch, sweat pouring off his chest. She landed on him, tucking herself into him and humming in pleasure.

"Damn, that was so fucking hot!" he declared. "This has been the best date ever!" Leaning back to capture her eyes, he asked, "What are you doing next Saturday?"

And that was how Bella agreed to go out with Edward Masen again.

* * *

><p>Four weeks later, Bella attended another DGA Movie of the Month with Edward, and Alice brought her new fake boyfriend, Emmett McCarty. Within minutes, both Alice and Edward had been dragged into conversations with peers, leaving Bella and Emmett alone at the table.<p>

"I've been told this is normal," Bella said, addressing Emmett as she took a sip of her drink.

"What is?" he replied.

"Being abandoned while they mingle. This is the second time it's happened to me."

Emmett smiled. "That's okay; it gives me a chance to thank you."

"For what?"

"For saying whatever you said to Alice. This has been amazing exposure for me. I'm getting calls from labels that turned me down three months ago."

Bella smiled. "I'm glad it's working out for you."

Grinning evilly, he waited until she took another drink and then continued, "And Alice is really, really bendy. Thank God for yoga."

Doing her best not to spit her drink all over caused Bella to choke. As Emmett laughed and patted her back, Bella's eyes watered, and she coughed until she could breathe again. Giving him the evil eye, she declared, "You owe me another drink."

"So worth it," he replied, heading for the bar to replace her Cosmopolitan. Not a minute later, Rosalie Hale joined her at the table.

"Bella! I didn't think I'd see you at another Movie of the Month. The sex must have been really good."

Stunned at her sudden appearance, it took Bella a minute to formulate a reply. Glancing around to see if anyone was nearby, she leaned in and said, "Surprisingly good."

Rosalie nodded. "So I guess I'll be seeing you around more often."

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. We don't have much in common, really. I don't know how much longer we'll be together."

Rosalie smiled knowingly. "I bet I'll being seeing you next month. It's the 70th anniversary of The Magnificent Ambersons. Story's depressing as hell."

Bella looked confused – she didn't recognize the name of the film.

"Directed by Orson Welles. He had an amazing eye, and he also had more affairs than I have shoes." Rosalie stood to leave. "And deep down, all directors want to be him - for lots of different reasons. See you next month."

Bella watched the gorgeous, bitter woman head back to her husband, standing by his side as he ignored her and continued his conversation with, of all people, Steven Spielberg. Scanning the room, she found Edward talking with a well-known producer. Looking back at Rosalie, Bella realized that she would never be more important to Edward than his movies, and that thought made her sad.

Bella decided right then that she definitely wouldn't be at next month's event.


	15. Awaken part 1

Chapter 15 - **Awaken (part 1)**

The end of summer was just as busy as the beginning of it for Bella. Alice finished promotional work for Edward Masen's film, started principal shooting for another movie in May, and attended Cannes in June – all without 24/7 support from Bella. Instead, Alice's agent sent an assistant along with her. Alice felt it was progress. Bella felt it was disaster in the making. While there were some mishaps, they were well short of the total screw-up Bella had been expecting, and nothing that couldn't be explained away by Alice's PR machine.

Bella spent that time taking an intensive summer class at UCLA, signing up for her fall classes, and interviewing a multitude of people to replace her as Alice's personal assistant. The process caused Bella to nearly rip out her hair as the agency she'd contracted with sent her people whom Bella felt were one missed dose of medication away from being criminally insane.

The group she'd interviewed this morning raised her stress levels to such heights that Bella felt she really had no recourse but to escape across the yard to her house for an extended lunch break. After a plate of veggies, cheese and fruit and a glass of wine, Bella would normally have unwound enough to be able to face the rest of her afternoon, sure to be filled with returning calls and confirming Alice's schedule. Today, though, she had no such luck.

Glancing at the clock, Bella decided that what she needed to relieve her stress was some private time with her favorite ranch video. Forcing herself to walk calmly to her bedroom closet and retrieve the memory sticks from their hiding place, she moved on unsteady feet to her computer and melted into her chair.

As the files loaded, Bella's mind clicked through the men in her recordings: Jasper, Felix, Demetri, and the others. But none of those men was the one she'd been thinking about - who caused her to overheat just at the thought of him - and she quickly pulled up a specific file, forwarding it to the exact section she wanted, and clicked play.

Onscreen, she circled Carlisle in the high-backed, upholstered chair he sat in while Mistress Jane provided Bella a demonstration of her relationship with her sub. The look on his face was pure pained longing as she bent down over his shoulder and whispered in his ear. Bella sat back in her chair and waited for the show to begin.

Video Carlisle knelt. Bella sighed as she recalled the heat of his lips on the tops of her feet. Planting her feet on the floor, she shifted her hips wider, causing her skirt to rise. Her hands skimmed the exposed skin of her thighs, slowly lifting the sundress with each pass, while on the video Bella and Mistress Jane discussed Carlisle's limits and how to challenge him.

Bella watched herself take the paddle from the Domme and circle the still-kneeling man, noting how the desire rolling off him caused his chest to rise and fall in a hitched pattern. Her own labored breathing increased as she slid her fingers under her panties. On the screen, Carlisle stood.

_Hell, yes, now it's time for the show to begin. Take off the clothes, Professor. Nice and slow..._

Bella adjusted herself in her office chair, one leg draped over the arm, the other thrown wide so that she could tease her clit with both hands as Carlisle ever-so-slowly revealed new expanses of skin to her eyes. She thought, not for the first time, that whoever edited the video for the ranch must be either a woman or a gay man, judging by the ample shots highlighting Carlisle's amazing ass and his stunning cock.

_Wonder if it would be rude to write a thank you note..."Dear video editor, thank you for the amazing close-up of Carlisle's eminently suckable cock"..._

Bella locked her eyes to Carlisle's face on the screen as her film self ran the paddle over his body. She hadn't noticed at the time, but his entire face shone with the force of his desire. What the video didn't capture, but Bella remembered clearly, was the slight shaking of his limbs, the scent of his arousal, the sheen of sweat on his skin.

Video Bella took the iPod from the Mistress and looked at the screen. Bella remembered being confused at first by the listing "orgasm delay/denial," but she'd quickly figured out how to use it to her advantage. And finding "leather restraints" under the "no limits" list allowed her to explore something she'd been eager to try for a while. Watching the video as she picked up Carlisle's belt caused her to groan in response; when Mistress Jane bound him with it, Bella moved her hands lower to tease her entrance.

Bella watched as she whispered in Carlisle's ear, and she was able to see the shake in his body at her words, exhorting him to grind but not come as she paddled him. As she watched herself bring the paddle to his ass, she finally plunged her fingers into her body. She stroked herself in time with the flexing of his ass, knowing that each movement stroked his cock against the cool leather top of his desk.

Even as she'd sat in his red leather office chair and teased him, he kept flexing, moving, and rotating, and the sight of his athletic body moving in such a manner was almost more than Bella could handle. When she watched her hand lift to his mouth, Bella sucked on her own fingers to recreate the feeling. Knowing that she had less than a minute until Carlisle came caused her to return her hand to her pussy and increase the intensity of her movements, wanting to come at the same time Carlisle would on the screen.

When she heard him begin to yell "no," her back arched and her legs began to shake. Eyes firmly closed, she forced her hands to keep moving until his relieved "yes" rang in her ears, and then she slammed her fingers into her body once more as her other hand frantically stroked her clit, sending her over the edge into an orgasm, causing her legs to jerk out of position and her body to roll sideways in her chair. Through her clenched legs, she stroked herself into and through a few aftershocks as she watched Carlisle intently wiping his ejaculate into his leather desktop with her panties.

Watching the people on-screen leave Carlisle's office made her smile in remembrance. She'd escorted Carlisle back to his private rooms and returned to her own to do much the same as she'd just done – stroke herself to the memory of the event.

As she sat hunched over in her office chair collecting her energy, Bella laughed at the thought that of all the experiences she'd had at the ranch, the ones that were at the top of her masturbatory fantasies three months later rarely involved her coming – and usually involved Carlisle.

Loud knocking sounded at the front door, causing Bella to jerk in surprise and fall out of her chair and onto the floor. Breathing heavily and frantically rearranging her clothes, she called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, silly!" Alice yelled as she fumbled with the knob. Bella knew Alice would be using her own key to enter the apartment, eager to uncover the results of the latest round of interviews. Bella heard the door open and Alice call out, "Did you find me a new lackey?"

Bella gave one final check to her clothing as she quickly stood. "Huh?" Looking over at her laptop screen displaying a screen shot of Carlisle's office - which Bella thought Alice might be able to identify - caused her to scamper over and slam the lid closed, hopefully before Alice caught sight of it.

Alice walked straight from the entry hallway to Bella's kitchen with a grocery bag in hand. Glancing in her direction, she asked, "Why is your face so red? Were you watching porn?"

_Oh, if you only knew…._

Stunned, Bella stood in front of her computer and tried to formulate a negative response that wouldn't sound ridiculous. She couldn't come up with one. Knowing that she was busted and there was nothing to be done about it, Bella joined Alice in the kitchen.

Alice laughed as she entered the room. "You were watching porn, you dirty girl! Good for you! Was it hot?"

Bella shrugged. _The hottest, if I do say so myself…_

"You should send me the link!"

_Never gonna happen, bestie…_

"Well, did you at least hire me an assistant before engaging in a round of self-pleasure?"

Watching Alice assemble the ingredients for margaritas, Bella replied, "Unless you want to fail every single drug test due to the contact high from option number one, worry about having no secrets ever again due to the extreme volume of option number two, or honestly want a sycophant, I've got nothing for you again today. I'm firing the agency, and I'm going to start looking for alternate sourcing opportunities."

Alice gave a thoughtful nod or two while she crushed a blender-full of ice. When she'd finished, she played along with Bella's business-speak. "Have you decided to go with crowd sourcing? Maybe Craigslist?"

Bella giggled. "I was thinking more of poaching someone else's PA. Or shopping around a reality show – you know, "Assisting Alice," or something awful like that – but I think that would take too long."

Handing an assembled margarita to Bella and taking a huge gulp of her own drink, Alice sighed. "Maybe I should just call my cousin Angela – see if she knows anybody. Of course, since my uncle's a minister, whoever she recommends might be a little more religious than is absolutely necessary." Alice made a face as she shivered in mock horror.

"That would work out so well!" Bella teased. "Imagine the look of pious outrage when whoever it is walks in on you and Emmett fucking in another brand-new, unexpected location in your house!"

_Honestly, I would have stuck around to watch if you hadn't been a part of it…that was just too much information about my best friend's sexual preferences…_

"It was only twice, Bella, and I had both the exercise room and butler's pantry professionally cleaned afterward!" Alice protested.

"You mean I had them cleaned afterward." At Bella's statement, Alice rolled her eyes in tacit agreement. "Is Emmett going to the DGA Gala with you this evening?"

"He's going, but not with us. We broke up," she announced.

"Really? Why?"

"Well, after talking with Claire…"

"Why would you talk to your publicist about…oh, who am I kidding? You talk to her before you sneeze." Bella rolled her eyes.

Alice glared at her, then continued. "As I was saying, Claire and I decided I'd gotten as much of a bump from having Emmett as my fake boyfriend as I could, especially since he's not interested in being more involved in the networking that I do." Alice sighed. "I know it bothers you, but I would kill for a guy as dedicated to making connections as Edward Masen is."

"Wait a minute, us? Since when was I going tonight? You know I hate Director's Guild events, and I'll have to deal with Edward…"

"What is it with the two of you?"

"He wants me to be his girlfriend. I'm not interested in coming in second to his job for the rest of my life. End of story."

"It's obviously not the end of the story since he was here a couple of days ago," Alice replied. "I thought you were seeing what's-his-name, so I was surprised to see Edward's car in the driveway."

Bella blushed. "Oh, well, that was a last-minute thing."

_And a mistake, I think..._

"What's-his-name was no good, huh? Is Edward good enough to be the guy you make a booty call to?"

Bella laughed. "Well, I thought you were with the best guy to call locally."

Alice preened. "That's true." After a pause, Alice asked, "Other than Masen being a workaholic, what's wrong with him?"

"We just can't seem to talk for any length of time without it turning into some sort of discussion about the movie business. I'd rather have deep, meaningful discussions over meals, finding out what the other person thinks about the news of the day, or the last book they read, or…"

"So you want to date a woman? 'Cause I can't think of any man who'd do that sort of thing."

"I had conversations like that with Carlisle," Bella promptly replied. Then her face fell. "Of course, he was being paid."

Alice sighed. "True, Carlisle seems a bit out of reach, but if that's what you want, and Masen isn't doing it for you, you should make a clean break." Patting her shoulder, Alice caught Bella's eyes and tried to offer her comfort. "You never know who'll make an appearance – you just have to be available when they show up."

Bella took a deep breath. "Okay, your attempt to cheer me up isn't working. Let's move on."

Alice finished up her margarita and teased, "Who knows, you might find a smokin' hot guy at college!"

Eyes wide, Bella laughed. "'Cause all the college guys love cougars!"

Alice grinned. "Don't think of yourself as a cougar – think of yourself as an educator!"

Bella astonished reaction caused Alice to laugh heartily. "C'mon," Alice encouraged, "we have to grab lunch and then start getting ready for tonight. The limo is coming at five."

"Do you think we can get ready in the four and a half hours you've left us?"

Alice replied seriously, "It'll be close, but we'll do our best."

* * *

><p>Bella stood on the sidelines of the gala, taking in what she guessed would be her last formal event as Alice's assistant. She watched her best friend as she worked the room – saying hello to all the right people, laughing at the right times, totally in her element. It occurred to Bella that Alice and Edward were two peas in a pod – totally dedicated to their Hollywood careers. Bella decided it would be better for them to have company as they dedicated themselves to the entertainment industry, and she wondered if all they needed was a little push to get their orbits aligned…<p>

After half an hour of watching a procession of prime man-flesh parade past her eyes, Bella decided that it was a too bit much for her to handle when none of them was going home with her. She decided to make a strategic retreat to the restroom. A gaggle of women were dissecting an unknown man the way only Hollywood types could. As she went about her business, she listened in on the conversation.

"….don't know who is talking to Emmett McCarty, but he's the sexiest fucker I've seen…"

"Did you recognize him?"

"No."

"What did he look like?"

"Tall, athletic, blond hair, starting to show some age but wears it well…"

"Who'd he talk to besides McCarty?"

"…wearing a custom-tailored black Gucci and Ferragamos…"

"No one. He's just sitting at the bar…."

"…and a top of the line Patek Phillipe, if I'm not mistaken..."

"Then he's probably not in the business."

"…and absolutely fuckable." At this declaration from one of the women, the others sighed and gave silent nods of agreement.

"Which in this town, probably means he's gay," one of the women intoned morosely. The conversation broke up at that thought, and the women returned to the party, leaving Bella curious as to who had made such a stir at a party with everyone from George Clooney to Harrison Ford attending.

Leaving the restroom, Bella decided another drink was in order. As she made her way around the room, she saw Emmett looking at one of the evening's displays and headed his direction. Seeing her approach, he smiled.

"Emmett, who have you been talking to tonight? You've got women chatting about you and your friend in the powder room."

"Really? You don't say?" Emmett replied, giving her a curiously happy look. "A buddy of mine is in town. Alice was gracious enough to arrange for me to get an extra ticket so I could bring a date tonight, but since I couldn't find one interested in coming here, I gave it to my friend and decided to try and find a hookup once I got here." Leaning in to Bella, he turned to face the bar. "I've been eyeing the hot blonde chick at the bar. Do you know her?

Bella turned to face the same direction. "Rosalie Hale? We've spoken."

"Is she single?" he asked quickly.

"No," Bella replied, "but she might not let that stop her. I don't think it's stopped her husband."

Emmett nodded his understanding. "Excellent." Snapping his fingers, he turned back to her. "Oh, by the way, Edward's been looking for you. I thought you broke up with him."

"I did; he doesn't really believe me."

_Of course, the fact I called him when I had an itch that needed scratching probably didn't send the right message…_

"I think he's headed this way," Emmett warned.

"Damn. I'm going to go hide. If you see him, tell him I'm with Alice, will you?"

"Your secrets are safe with me, Bella."

Bella smiled. Even though they'd had quite a bit of contact while he was Alice's pretend boyfriend, he'd never once mentioned Bella's time at the ranch. "I know that for a fact, Emmett."

Five minutes later, Bella was able to catch Alice between schmoozes. "When people start giving speeches and throwing money around, I'm leaving," she announced.

Alice almost frowned. "You can't leave! They're getting ready to auction off stuff!"

"I can, Alice. I really can." Putting her quickly-schemed plan into place, she continued, "I just need you to keep Edward from cornering me before it's time to go."

"And just how am I supposed to do that?" she demanded.

Bella shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, he's a big Kurasawa fan, I bet he'd enjoy your thoughts on Kurasawa's use of rain to affect and indicate mood. I know you wrote that big paper on it in school."

Alice sighed. "He's a big Kurasawa fan? Or he says he's a big Kurasawa fan? 'Cause there are a lot of posers, B."

Rolling her eyes, Bella replied, "I don't really know, Ali. I kinda tuned him out when he started in on that stuff. You'll have to figure out if he's genuine yourself."

Looking over at Edward as he talked with two high-level studio hacks, she replied, "Well, maybe I should."

Bella leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "He loves blowjobs. Loves them. He doesn't mind reciprocating; I've had better, but he takes suggestions well. And almost getting caught having sex pushed every last one of his buttons."

Alice backed away from Bella, her eyes shining and searching, making sure she understood what Bella was offering. Seeing Bella's acceptance, Alice squeezed her like a boa constrictor and then immediately headed in Edward's last known direction.

_I've passed my booty call on to my best friend. My good deed is done for the day._

Moving to the seating area farthest away from the dance floor, Bella decided to sit and enjoy her last chance to watch some of the most famous people in the world. She could hear a buzz over by the bar, and she wondered who was able to garner that much attention in a room full of egos as large as these.

Emptying her drink, Bella looked over to the bar to see if she could get there without running into Edward. She spotted Emmett talking to someone while sitting right next to Rosalie Hale.

_Is he going to make his move right at the bar? He's got some brass balls, that's for sure._

Fascinated, she watched as Emmett turned to Rosalie and started a conversation with the bombshell. Smiling at his gumption, she stood so that she could head to the bar herself. That was when she noticed the man that Emmett had been talking to.

In her head, the entire room ground to a screeching halt.

It was Carlisle.


	16. Awaken part 2

Chapter 16 - **Awaken (part 2)**

_Oh shit, oh fuck, oh holy fucking shitting fuck! What the hell is he doing here? And why is he heading straight for me? And where was he every other time that I masturbated to video of him?_

Feeling her legs giving out on her, Bella slid back into the chair she'd just vacated. Her first thought was that he looked sexier than she remembered. Her next thought was that the women in the bathroom were right – he looked decidedly fuckable. The thought after that was that she should probably breathe.

"Hello, beautiful," he said loudly enough to be heard over the band. "I couldn't help but see you sitting here alone. Would you honor me with a dance?"

Bella hoped he couldn't hear the wheezing as she breathed in. "I don't usually dance with strangers."

_Well, if he can't hear that I'm not breathing, I'm sure the shakiness in my voice sounded REALLY confident…_

Setting his drink down on the table, he replied, "Where are my manners? I'm Carlisle Cullen." He held his hand out in greeting.

With a deep gulp, she took his hand and replied, "Bella Swan."

Carlisle brought her hand to his lips, pressing his lips just above her knuckles. She felt the heat from his mouth radiate all the way through her.

"Now that we're acquainted, will you join me?" he asked, motioning to the dance floor.

Bella looked at him warily. "Dancing? Not such a good idea for me. I mean, I've taken classes with Alice, but I'm not really any good…"

"It'll be nice, Bella. Trust me."

With a shaky breath, she took his hand and stood. He placed a hand on her back, and his touch burned all the way to the dance floor.

Turning, Bella arranged herself the proper distance away for dancing. Placing her trembling hand against Carlisle's shoulder, she waited for him to present his hand for her to grasp.

He leaned in to her. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look this evening, Bella? Simply stunning." He leaned back and put his arm out, and Bella readied herself to follow him. As their hands made contact, Bella could feel her entire body sway toward him, longing to be pressed against him as he led them into the dance.

_Of course he's skilled at this, too; why wouldn't he be?_

After a few moments of sheer panic at the thought of impaling his foot with her shoe, she felt confident enough of Carlisle's lead to speak. "Why are you here?"

Turning his head to look her in the eyes, he answered, "I had someone I couldn't get off my mind, and I wanted to see if I could have something special with her."

Bella was lost in the sensations flooding through her at having him so close; the masculine smell of his cologne, the movement of his shoulder under her arm, the feel of his body brushing hers. Then his comment hit her suddenly, and she felt as if she'd been dealt a blow. _Aw, fucking hell. He's taken? That's...that's...that's a shame, is what it is. A crying shame._

"Lucky girl," Bella intoned somberly. "Was it awkward for you to approach her outside the ranch?"

Carlisle led her into a spin, gently moving her away from and back into his embrace, grazing his cheek against hers as she melted back into his arms. "So far it isn't turning out too badly."

Bella pondered for several seconds. Then the meaning of what Carlisle had said finally sunk into her brain. She leaned back in his embrace. "Me? Seriously?" Her eyes bulged in surprise. "You could have any woman in this building! Several of them. At the same time. Hell, you probably have had several women in this building..."

"I don't want them." Whispering in her ear, he said, "I want more of you. I want to take you out on a date, talk with you, find out everything about you." As the song ended, he asked, "Another dance?"

Removing her hands from his, she clenched them together and furrowed her eyebrows as she fretted, her brain tumbling through her options. "I don't really know what…I mean, I can't even…I'm not really sure…"

He leaned in to her. "Would you like to get out of here? Maybe go have a drink?"

Dazed, Bella replied, "They have drinks here."

Carlisle smiled. "Yes, but I think we could talk to each other better in a quieter place – I'm sure the hotel has a nice, quiet bar."

Standing inches away from him made it tough for Bella to think. Looking anywhere but at him, she replied, "I guess that would be okay."

"Wonderful," he declared. "Do you have anything in the coat check?"

Shaking her head, she said, "My purse is at the table. It's silver. Small."

Carlisle nodded. "I saw it. I'll be right back. Don't move."

Bella watched as he briskly walked to her table, retrieved her purse, and returned to her, never seeming to notice the attention he was garnering from every woman in the room, and half the men. But Bella did notice.

"Shall we go?" he asked as he returned to her side, holding his elbow out for her.

Wrapping her hand around his arm, she nodded.

Carlisle found the bar easily, escorted her to a seat, and after asking her for her preference, fetched drinks for them both.

As he returned to the table, he slid one of the drinks he'd brought over to her and asked, "So…how have you been, Bella?"

"How have I been?" she asked, incredulous at the thought of small talk with the object of her recent fantasies. "I've been fine."

Thrown off by her response, Carlisle paused for a sip of his drink. "Okay, let's try again. What have you been doing since I saw you last?"

"I'm finishing up my job as a personal assistant. Then I'm going back to school to get my English degree at UCLA." Bella raised her eyebrows. "How's the ranch?"

"I'm sure it's fine, although I wouldn't know any details. I stopped day-to-day management of the facility a couple of months ago."

"Why?"

"I lost my focus. I couldn't work. All I could think about was how you..."

Unable to listen to more of his polite conversation, she interrupted him. "Why are you talking to me, Carlisle? I don't have any more money to give you."

He moved back as if she'd taken a swing at him and frowned. Recovering, he answered, "I don't want your money."

"Then why are you here?" she asked harshly.

He seemed taken aback by her hostility. Undaunted, he pressed on. "Part of my job was being able to focus on the woman I was with. I wasn't supposed to think of anyone else but her." After taking a large pull of his drink, he continued, "But not long after you left, I was asked by another coordinator to give Professor Banner's lecture again, and all I could think about was how you reacted, how you responded, how you felt. I couldn't say yes."

He paused to take another drink, the rattling ice showing an atypical hint of nerves. Setting it down, he looked in her eyes. "For the first time in my life, I long for someone – for you." Shaking his head, he continued, "It's been very disconcerting for me."

"I don't understand what you want from me."

"Haven't I made myself clear?" he asked. "I want to be in a relationship with you."

Bella sat in silence while she tried to process this piece of information. Finally, she said, "Define 'relationship.'"

"I want to be your best friend, your lover...the person you share every dream and desire with...the person you wake up with in the morning and go to sleep with at night."

Stunned, she replied, "Yeah, that's a relationship, all right."

"I notice that you haven't responded to what I said," he said tentatively. "I'd love to know what you're thinking."

She bristled. She hadn't let Edward force her into being a girlfriend, and she certainly wasn't going to let this man.

"I feel blindsided," she hissed. "Three months after I saw you last, which, by the way, was in a brothel where I was your client, you suddenly show up at a Hollywood event and declare you want to be my boyfriend?" Taking a large swallow of her drink, she pressed a hand over her eyes and continued, "I don't know what to think." Her hand moved to the side of her face to cradle her head. "So, what took you so long?"

Smirking, he replied, "Believe it or not, I wasn't sure you would be receptive to the idea."

"What changed your mind?"

Carlisle sat silently, unwilling to part with this information. After a moment's thought, the answer came to her. "Emmett," she growled.

"He's been a good friend."

"So much for him keeping my secrets."

"In all fairness, he didn't tell me anything personal about you. He simply encouraged me to contact you."

Bella let the disbelief wash over her. "Why are you saying all of this to me now?"

Carlisle grimaced. "That's a fair question. I always knew I wouldn't want to be part of the ranch forever; I just never found someone who made the idea of leaving attractive - until now."

Seeing her struggle with everything he'd said, Carlisle touched his hand to hers and said, "Would you like some space to think about what I've said? Maybe you could think about it overnight and allow me to call you tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"So we could go on a date. Something simple - maybe meet up for coffee?"

Still unbelieving of the turn her life had taken, Bella shrugged. "Maybe. You can call me. It's the same number I used when I was at the ranch."

"Wonderful. Can I offer you a ride home?"

Bella shook her head. "I ordered two rides home. Alice is charged whether we use them or not, and I hate to waste her money."

"I understand." Carlisle stood, refastened the button on his suit coat, and leaned over to speak directly into her ear. "I'm committed to the idea of something more with you, and I'm willing to wait if you want me to." Placing a kiss on her cheek, he said, "Think about that tonight, okay?"

Bella looked up at him and nodded. Carlisle turned, smiling, and confidently walked out of the bar. Bella kept her eyes on him as he sauntered through the lobby and out the main doors of the hotel.

* * *

><p>Bella spent a sleepless night thinking about Carlisle's declaration of intent. Tossing and turning for hours put her no closer to an answer. There were still way too many unanswered questions, and her doubts warred with her desires.<p>

The next day, Bella entered the office at the break of noon. Alice was already in the office, ready to start the interrogation the minute she showed up.

"So, who was that piece of hotness I saw you talking with last night? 'Cause to me, it looked like Carlisle."

Bleary-eyed, Bella replied, "It was Carlisle."

"What happened?" Alice demanded. "Was he there with someone else? If so, it was kind of poor form for him to…"

"He came with Emmett. He wants me to go out on a date with him."

Surprised at this bit of news, Alice replied, "What did you say?"

"I told him I needed to think about it. He's going to call me today."

"What are you going to say?"

"Hell if I know. Did you have a nice talk with Edward?"

"I did." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I think we could have something."

Bella's raised eyebrow did the talking for her.

Alice fretted, "Will you be okay if something works out between us?"

After a sip of coffee, Bella replied, "I think so. As long as there won't be any weirdness between us."

Smiling, Alice said, "I guarantee there will be zero weirdness between us."

Bella smiled at the dreamy look on her best friend's face. "Okay, then." Picking up her ringing cell phone, she answered, "Alice Brandon's office."

"Bella?"

"Carlisle," she replied, frantically looking at Alice. "Hi!"

"I was calling about our coffee date. Would you be available this afternoon, say around two?"

"Today?" Bella asked, flipping through the papers on her desk to locate her iPad. "I'm a bit snowed under today…"

Alice waved her hands to get Bella's attention, and then mouthed the words, "You're going. Today."

Carlisle's voice poured over the line at the same time, "I'm willing to wait until you're ready, Bella. When would you like to meet?"

"When?" Bella's eyes grew wide at the glare Alice leveled at her. "Well, it seems I've been given the rest of the day off, so today would be fine."

"Wonderful! Since you're a local, do you have a place you'd like to introduce to me?"

"There's a Champagne French Bakery in Santa Monica, over by the airport – they used to have one here in Malibu but it closed. I could meet you there."

"That would be wonderful, Bella. Thank you for agreeing to see me today."

"Okay, then, two?"

"I look forward to it."

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, Bella was sitting at a table at the bakery, nervously fidgeting with the sugar packets on her table as she waited for Carlisle to arrive. After ten minutes, the server approached her.<p>

"Did you want to go ahead and order while you wait?"

Bella startled. "Oh, no! I want some coffee, but I'm really early. He's not due for another twenty minutes."

Just then, the bells hanging on the door indicated another person entering the café. Bella gulped as she took in Carlisle, hair tousled from the wind, dressed in chinos, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and wearing a classic pair of aviators. As he pulled the sunglasses from his face, he looked at her and waved.

Sighing, Bella said, "There he is."

Under her breath, the waitress replied, "I see why you waited."

Carlisle strode her way easily, stopped at the bench seat across from her, and said, "Sorry I'm early; I couldn't wait to see you. May I join you?" His eyes roamed her face, trying to read her mood.

"Please," she answered. "Did you want coffee?"

"Yes," he replied, finally turning to the server. "Coffee, please."

Bella smiled. "The desserts are pretty good, if you're interested."

"Are you interested?"

Bella shrugged. "It's hard to pass up dessert," she replied, wondering if she meant more than she said.

Carlisle nodded. "Are you going to order one?"

"Yes." Turning to the waitress, she said, "Plain cheesecake, please."

"Could you also bring me your most popular dessert with chocolate in it?" he added, handing the server the menu. "Thanks."

After the woman had regained her senses, she walked away to place their order. When the server was out of hearing distance, Bella turned to Carlisle and asked, "Did you really quit the ranch?"

"Straight to the questions, then - okay. Yes. I still own the ranch, but I've turned over day-to-day management to my replacement."

"What are you doing for work?"

"Not that I need the money, but I've just accepted a adjunct teaching position at Santa Monica College."

_So, wait, you really ARE a professor?_

"Really? What are you teaching?"

"Psychology," he replied, taking a drink from his glass, "and Human Sexuality."

Bella noticed the humor in his eyes. "That sounds like it would be quite a challenge."

"More so for my TA. She's such a quiet girl." With an overly dramatic sigh, he added, "Poor thing nearly choked on her tongue during my fellatio lecture."

"It would have been more fun for her if she'd choked on something else," Bella grinned in reply. Carlisle laughed heartily.

Bella took a deep breath before getting to the questions that plagued her the most. "Carlise, I have to ask - have you ever even been in a relationship?" she quizzed him.

With a deep breath, he answered, "Not romantic relationships, no. I have had mutually agreed-upon physical relationships of limited duration."

The cup and saucer that the suddenly appearing waitress was holding clattered down noisily on the table at the turn their conversation had taken. She quickly set down the other cup and filled both of them before slowly heading off, shaking her head.

Bella's shoulders raised and her head shook slightly, her frustration pouring off of her. "Can you even do monogamy? I mean, come on, have you ever said 'no' to a woman who wants you?"

"I set up my life so I didn't have to say 'no,' Bella. It doesn't mean that I can't."

"That's…that's…I don't know what that is, Carlisle," she replied in a shaky voice. "I don't know what to do with that." Sighing, she continued, "How do you know this is really what you want? Maybe you just like the idea of being in a relationship?"

Carlisle studied her thoughtfully. "You want some sort of guarantee, and I can't give you one." Spinning his cup, he continued. "All I can do is tell you that I can't stop thinking about you: your intelligence, your curiosity, courage. Your spirit. My God, you were so open – once you decided what you were going to do, you never looked back. It was your willingness to explore that surprised me. You are aware that you're a highly sexual person, right?"

The blush on Bella's face went from heated to nuclear when the server startled so much at Carlisle's statement that she nearly dropped their tray of desserts. Setting down the plates at the edge of the table, the woman opened her mouth to say something, thought the better of it, and stalked off silently.

"I don't know why you would say something like that…" Bella hissed.

"Because it's obvious, Bella. You went further in one week at the ranch than most women do in ten visits. And you felt no guilt once you made the decision to stay." Taking a bite of his dessert, he hummed in pleasure. "You're right. This is delicious."

_Don't whimper, don't whimper…keep cool, woman…._

Putting down his fork, he looked her directly in the eyes. "You want to explore, Bella, and I want to be the one to go on the adventure with you."

"What if I don't want more from you? What if I just want sex?"

Leaning back with a knowing smirk on his face, Ranch Carlisle - supremely confident, powerfully sexual - finally made an appearance. "Well, that wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd love to help out."

"What if I said I wasn't interested in being in a relationship with anyone right now? What if I'm interested in exploring my options with other people?"

He let out a deep breath slowly. "I've never had reason to be jealous before." Shrugging, he continued, "I don't think I'd like it, but I really can't say much if you want to be with other people."

Swallowing, she asked, "What if I was interested in more? With you?"

Hope flickered in his eyes. "I'd put everything I am into being yours."

"But how would I know it was really you, Carlisle, and not Ranch Carlisle?" she pondered. "How do I know you'd be honest with me emotionally?"

After taking another drink of his coffee, he cleared his throat. Reaching across the table, he took one of her hands in both of his, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Bella, I can honestly say this is the most vulnerable I've ever been in my entire life."

Stunned, Bella heard the blood rushing in her ears. "How am I supposed to walk away from you?" she asked.

With a half-smile, he replied, "I'm hoping that I'm irresistible."

"You are," she growled. "You know you are."

Carlisle leaned back at her confession. Bella watched as he took a bite of his dessert, especially the fork as his mouth caressed it, and her body responded to the memory of what his mouth could do to her.

_Do not moan, do not moan…okay, that's really tough to do when he's looking so sexy…_

She could feel the atmosphere between them change and crackle. The hairs on her arms rose from the electricity between them. She tried to play it off. "You know, we always have the most inappropriate discussions while we're eating."

With a heated look, he replied, "I want to leap across this table and kiss you right now."

Eyebrows raised in surprise, she answered, "It would be easier if you just joined me on this side."

Quickly, he rose from his bench seat and scooted onto hers. Running a hand through her hair to push it away from her face, he left it cupped against her head and used it to gently position her where he wanted her. Leaning in, he tapped her lips with his gently once, twice, three times, and then pressed his mouth and his body firmly to hers.

_Do not whimper…do not moan…do NOT jump the man here in the restaurant. Do…not…do…it. Shit, I really want to do it…_

"You two are going to have to take that outside." A voice cut into their moment. Backing away from Carlisle, Bella noticed that the waitress was standing at the end of their table, breathing heavily and holding an order ticket. Glancing at Carlisle, Bella fumbled for her purse.

"I've got it," he stated, pulling a money clip from his pocket and paying entirely too much for their order. Standing up, he held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

Bella nodded, balancing with his hand as she stood. She left the café with him, walking the short distance down the sidewalk to the strip mall's small parking lot. She followed Carlisle to his car parked nearby - a sexy little white convertible, of course.

"Where did you park?" he asked.

"I parked on the other side of the lot," she answered, "in the shade."

"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't walk you to your car," he replied, snapping his head to the side to encourage her to take the lead. She took the hint, leading him to the place she'd parked Alice's Lexus SUV, in the secluded, shaded back corner of the lot. Fishing the keys out of her purse, she'd barely turned to face Carlisle before his mouth found hers again, tempting and teasing her, lighting her senses on fire.

All the whimpers and moans she'd held in while inside the bakery came pouring out of her now. She wrapped her arms around his neck, keys rattling, pulling him to her, trying to get as close as humanly possible to the man who made her feel…everything.

Pulling away from her lips, he asked, "What do you want, Bella?"

"Oh, God, you," she answered frantically. "I want you."

"You can have me," he assured her, smoothing his hands along her sides in a futile attempt to calm her. "Just tell me."

Fumbling behind his head with the key fob, she finally found the button to unlock the doors. "I want you," she answered, opening the back door. With a jerk of her head, she demanded, "Get in the car."

Bella gave a maniacal little giggle at the speed with which Carlisle vaulted himself into Alice's vehicular monstrosity. She followed close on his heels, throwing her keys and purse into the front seat and then pulling the lever to lower half of the back seat. He copied her movements, laying down the other side.

He ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders and threaded them into her hair, using his thumbs to stroke her cheeks, his heavy breath mingling with hers. With a tentative look, he asked, "I hate to ask…but have you been safe since you left the ranch?"

"Yes, every time," she replied. "Can you say the same thing?"

He shook his head slowly. "I took calculated risks at the ranch – you know that." With a deep breath, he offered, "We don't have to do this now. It's your call."

Inspiration struck Bella. "Wait!" she yelled, pulling his arms down and launching herself up and over the center console to reach her purse. The maneuver left her backside within easy reach, and Carlisle pressed his advantage, running his hands up her legs and under the hem of her cotton skirt while his mouth found the exposed, sweat-dampened skin right above her waistband.

Unable to calmly search while he teased her, she dumped the contents of her purse onto the seat and flipped unwanted items onto the floor until she cried, "Found 'em!" Flopping back into the seat with Carlisle, she proudly held up two condoms. Lifting one of his hands, she slapped the packages into them. She kissed him then, unfastening the buttons on his shirt as she did so. Once she'd undone four buttons, he simply lifted the shirt over his head.

When his mouth landed back on her own, she felt a tug at her leg, and she fell backwards as Carlisle climbed up and over her body, straddling her legs with his own. Bella took him in: his deep breaths, his reddened lips, the look of adoration in his eyes. The dust motes floating in the air added a dreamlike quality to their afternoon tryst.

_The reality of him being here with me is so much better than the memories..._

He kissed her deeply, mouth sipping and playing with hers, igniting fires deep within her. They were fed by the feel of his chest brushing against hers, the weight of him pressed into her. As his mouth moved to her neck, her hands found his head, her fingernails lightly scraping his scalp. His resulting moans pleased her more than she felt they had any right to.

As he reached the neckline of her shirt, he shifted his weight back to his knees and ran his hands up her body, lifting her shirt up and off her in the process. As he ran his hands back down, he unfastened and lowered her skirt and panties in one pass. Next, he made a quick movement behind her back, unfastened her bra, and laid her bare to his grateful eyes.

She felt wanton, womanly, desired. This was what she'd been aching to feel.

"You are a goddess," he whispered as his hands roamed lightly over her skin. Her shiver of delight caused him to smile softly. Unbuckling and lowering his pants, he grabbed one of the condoms from where he had stashed them and sheathed himself. He then returned the heat of his body to hers.

"I can't wait to be with you, Bella," he whispered in her ear. "Forgive me for being impatient?" he begged.

As his mouth covered the familiar territory of her neck and his hands explored her readiness for the next step, she nodded jerkily. "I…I'll forgive…you…"

Removing his hand from inside her, he guided himself into position, bracing his arms on either side of her shoulders as he pressed himself into her. Keeping his eyes on hers, he flexed and retreated until he was fully inside her, then he held still as he kissed her again. The energy thrumming through her forced her to move in response, breaking something loose inside Carlisle. He began slowly, but as he continued to move inside her, his thrusts very quickly changed, becoming deeper and faster.

Misjudging the space he had available, Carlisle leaned back to get more leverage to push into her and smacked his head on the roof of the car. The surprise froze him, the shock on his face sending Bella into a fit of giggles she frantically tried to control.

Rubbing the spot on his head that had made contact with the roof, he pleaded, "Don't laugh!" which of course sent Bella into full-fledged laughter.

"I…I can't…oh, God…that's not funny…but your face…!" she got out through bouts of laughter.

"If you don't stop, I'll have to make you stop," he warned, the teasing look on his face belying the seriousness of his words.

"I'm…trying…aw, hell…can't…"

He kissed her heartily and then quickly moved down her body. She gasped as he suddenly withdrew himself from her, her arms reaching for him and finding nothing. Leaning up, she found him hovering over her clit, licking his lips as he looked at her, open and ready for him.

_Oh, Professor, if you reward me for being a bad girl, I'll never learn my lesson!_

Chuckling at her internal monologue, she was caught by surprise when he lowered his mouth to her and began a no-licks-barred exploration of her pussy. Laughter soon turned to flailing ecstasy as he nipped and sucked at her. She desperately reached out to find something to brace her as she approached completion, only to discover she was unable to find any purchase. Suddenly, Carlisle reached up to her and grasped one of her hands in his. Grounded, she felt secure enough to let go and come.

As she floated back down to her body, she heard the second condom wrapper being opened, and then Carlisle lifted himself up over her again and smoothly found his way back into her. As she wrapped her arms around him, her sigh of pleasure at his return echoed his.

"So close…beautiful...so sweet…" he whispered, pressing himself into her again and again. He came with a gentle jolt, his eyes closing for only a moment before he forced them open to see her reaction. She'd watched his face closely, and she saw powerful emotions clearly transmitted. His surprise at their intensity was palpable.

Pulling him down to her, she pressed a kiss to his lips, his cheek, and his forehead as he settled his head down onto her breasts to catch his breath. She ran one of her hands down his arm to tangle her fingers with his, and the other she used to brush the larger droplets of sweat from his skin.

_You know, I think he's right…I really am a highly sexual person - I didn't even think about someone seeing us fucking in the restaurant parking lot. Maybe it's just Carlisle who brings it out in me… and maybe I bring out something in him, too._

"You really want a relationship with me," she stated, as if the thought had just now finally registered.

Carlisle shifted to her side and propped his head up on one hand so he could look into her eyes. "More than anything."

"If we do this, you have to go all in. No emergencies at the ranch, no visiting Jane."

"Agreed."

"What about all your little co-eds?"

"What do you mean?"

"I remember college. Lots of girls tried to get grades on their back. And you're a lot sexier than...fuck, any other professor in the history of professors."

He smiled. "You think I'm sexy?"

"Answer the question, Carlisle."

"I can't even believe there is one!" His smile faded as he continued. "Listen, I'm going to tell you a deep, dark secret. Before I got hired, I had to give a lecture at the college. The head of the psychology department looked over my syllabus and asked for the fellatio lecture."

"Well, it is a very informative lecture," Bella teased. "What little I can remember of it. I was busy thinking of how to get you out of your clothes."

"Do you know I had to stand behind the podium the entire time? Never happened to me before, I can tell you that. All I could think about was your eyes, your sass, your mouth. God, it was all I could do to finish the lecture before I ran to the bathroom and jacked off." His face, already serious, took on a sense of earnestness. "There were at least fifty women in the room, Bella, and I didn't see any of them."

Bella absorbed this new information for a bit. "I'm not ready for what you're asking for right now, Carlisle. I think I could be at some point. But I know I'm not there now."

He nodded. "I understand." With a heavy sigh, he asked, "Can I still ask you out on a date?"

"Well, that's the way it's usually done," she replied. Looking down at their naked bodies draped across the reclined back seats of the SUV, she added, "but there's not much about us that's usual, is there?"

Kissing her soundly, he asked, "Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight, Bella Swan?"

Smiling, she replied, "I'd love to, Carlisle Cullen."

Taking a cleansing breath, Carlisle lifted himself into a sitting position, collected his trash and put it into the small bag attached to the center console. Bella watched as he flexed and stretched back into his clothes and then used a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his face. When he'd finished, she gathered the remaining clothes and went through her own set of stretches to get redressed. She felt the heat of his gaze as he watched her with the same intensity she'd watched him.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his eyes showing a bit of disappointment now that her clothing was back in order.

"Almost," she replied. "I'll need my comb, which is somewhere on the floor up front."

Indicating the small bag of trash, he said, "I'll throw this out while you do a scavenger hunt up front."

Bella nodded, leaned forward to plant a small kiss on his lips, and then opened the door next to her and jumped out of the car. Opening the driver's door, she groaned at what she'd done in her impatience to find the condoms in her purse. Deciding she had no patience left for picking things up neatly, she scooped everything into a pile but her comb, shoveled it up in her hands, and dumped the detritus back into her bag. Then she tried to comb her hair but gave up quickly, deciding she'd just go with the tousled look.

Turning to search for Carlisle, she saw him heading back to her with the sexy strut she remembered from the ranch.

_Lord, it's a sin that he's that sexy without even really trying. I blame you._

Striding up to her, he gave her a quick kiss and asked, "Did you need to go home before dinner?"

Shaking off her fascination with the slight bit of stubble on his jaw, she replied, "No, I'm good."

"Then can we take my car? I know this great seafood place in Topanga Canyon, and the roadster is lots of fun on the curves."

"Sure," she agreed, smiling as he grabbed her hand and strode off to his convertible.

Not having to drive allowed Bella to spend her time sideways in the passenger's seat, looking at Carlisle's profile as they wound up the Pacific Coast Highway toward Topanga Canyon. It also gave her time to think. A lot had happened to her since she'd committed to the experience the ranch offered her. Naturally, she felt that she'd grown sexually, but she'd also experienced enough growth in her confidence that she hadn't accepted second place just because a handsome man had offered it to her. She'd held her own.

Carlisle had done more than hold his own; he'd taken a leap of faith. He had changed his life around simply at the idea of her with no guarantees that she would accept him after he'd adjusted everything. Sure, he had a past, but every adult entering into a relationship came with history - his was just more colorful than hers.

Taking a deep breath, Bella concluded that - if it was with Carlisle - perhaps the time had come for her to commit to a whole new experience.

She reached out to the hand he had on the gearshift and stroked his wrist, causing him to glance over at her, the joy obvious on his face. As he refocused on the road and turned into the canyon, she sighed, realizing that she didn't have to be afraid of what Carlisle was offering her if she didn't want to be.

At that moment, she knew what she'd decided.

She wanted to be with him. She would be with him.

And eventually, when the time was right, she would give him her heart.

.

.

* * *

><p>Final AN:

I have a favor to ask all of you. If you rec Hedone Ranch to others in the future, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the reader the end of the story. I really feel it's about Bella's journey. Thanks in advance!

I do have some outtakes, which I will be posting under a different title. Probably something insightful like 'Hedone Ranch Outtakes'. It will include a chapter from EPOV that I cut completely (because this was Bella's story, not his), and may in the future include stuff I'll write for compilations. I have an idea for a one-shot of Alice at the ranch that I'm not sure I can write, as it's super-intense. I also owe Jadsmama a Demetri POV. All of those, and any others I may write, would be posted under the HR Outtakes heading, so put me on author alert if you want to know when that happens.

I love my betas **SqueakyZorro** and **HollettLA** so much that if Hedone Ranch really existed, I'd give up my reservations so that they could go in my place. That's love, people! They've both been with me since chapter 2 or 3, have pimped this story like crazy, and I don't think this story would have been half as good as it ended up being without them.

Other people/groups/entities I need to thank:

**Project Team Beta**, for letting me help others and finding me the help I needed when I decided to write this story. Although, after seeing everything I miss, maybe I won't be betaing any more. Thanks also to **ChloeCougar**, **JointGifts**, and **FuriousKitten**, who worked on the early chapters of this story.

**SexyLexiCullen**, for her very early rec of this fic, and also her suggestion of HR as a **TwiMuses** readalong. Thanks to everyone who threw this little story at the bottom of a chapter to pass along the smuttasticness!

**Team Anything Goes** at **The Perv Pack Smut Shack**, for the first big review of HR. A special thanks goes to **einfach_mich**, who clearly delineated what I was doing with my story in her review, which took place at chapter 3. That was a humbling and powerful experience, let me tell you. **PPSS** also made recs on chapter after chapter of this fic…I heart you guys!

All the other blogs that rec'd HR, including **ChloeCougar's **blog, **Inspired by Lemons**. Also, **DandieGoose** for **TwiGirlsNextDoor**, **Ms. Kathy** for **The Fictionators**, and **NauticalMass** for **Wordy Bitches**. HR was also in competition for **Fic of the Week** at **The Lemonade Stand** a long time ago…

**Ms. Ambrosia**, for making a banner that was almost exactly what was in my head.

People who allowed me to bounce ideas off of them: **Femme Malheureuse, sad tomato, TheSnowyHedwig**, and **Missus_T**, who, when I told her (around chapter 11 or so) that Carlisle had taken over my fic, said that every event that happened at the ranch was scheduled, planned, and orchestrated by Carlisle, so in fact everyone was acting as Carlisle-by-proxy. That was an eye-opener I never recovered from! ^grin^

**HeatherRiddle** and **HotFiremanNate**. They know why. ^waves^ HI NATE!

**Nina162** for her deep, insightful reviews that I re-read like heroin.

All the** IndyTFMU** chicks – it was a blast! Looking forward to more!

I also want to give thanks to **everyone** who nominated and voted for Hedone Ranch in various contests, including The Sunflower Awards, The Tomato Soup Awards (even if that went sideways, it was still an honor), and The Emerging Swan Awards.

.

Also, I wanted to let all of you know I'll miss this story and all of you who reviewed it! I hope to be back with another story soon!

Sincerely,

JenJadeEyes


	17. About Outtakes

_**I'm going to be posting some outtakes for Hedone Ranch under a different story header - Hedone Ranch Cutting Room Floor & Alt POVs. There are about 1000 of you that read HR but didn't put me on author alert, and I didn't want you to miss the outtakes if you wanted to read them. See a portion of the first outtake below. I'm writing a second one now, and I'm thinking of a third.**_

_**By the way, if you're in the US Midwest and are free the first weekend of November and want to meet up with some fellow Twi-fans in Indianapolis, contact me by PM or at JenJadeEyes at gmail dot com. I'm also on Twitter using the same name, so you can reach me there, too!**_

_._

_This chapter originally went after chapter 12. Chapter 13 was going to be from Edward's POV, and chapter 14 from Carlisle's POV, as he went to the party, put himself on the line, and asked Bella out – and that would be the end – you could choose whatever ending you wanted to see. Someone berated me for chickening out on an ending. They were right – I was._

_The original intent of this chapter (In place of the current Chapter 13) was to show that Bella's sexuality was just too much of a good thing for Edward – he couldn't keep up with her sexual voraciousness, and therefore wasn't sure if he wanted to continue dating her._

_Why this chapter didn't make it: 1) it added an unnecessary new character (Will, Edward's assistant) and assumes that he and Edward were somehow buddies; 2) The story was about Bella, but this chapter made her seem slutty instead of reveling in her newly released sexuality; 3) The only way I could make Edward chatty enough to share this much personal information was to get him drunk. I did re-use this idea, but instead made Bella over-share with Alice – a much more natural idea than Edward over-sharing with his assistant. _

_Note – I know I ran this chapter by the betas for comments on the content, but I don't remember if they fixed any of my commas…so consider it unbetaed, would you? You can also see it starts out of nowhere, there's an unfinished sex scene, and the chapter has no ending – that was because I was fighting the chapter the entire time I wrote it. When I switched it to Bella and Alice, things went much smoother – that's how I knew this wasn't the right way to go. It was tough to let go of Over-sharing Edward, though – he had some great lines…_

Leaning around the door to Edward's office, the impeccably dressed man called out, "Hey, Boss, I finished up the stuff for tomorrow's meeting, and shut down the editing suite. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Will!" Edward called out a little too boisterously and sitting up abruptly. "Will, my good man. Don't go yet! Come have a seat!"  
>Tilting his head as he entered the room and noticing the empty glass and the half-empty bottle of whiskey on the desk, Will asked, "Are you drunk?"<p>

Offended, Edward answered, "No, I'm not drunk. I'm oblisher…oblimer…" He blinked his eyes. "I'm really drunk."

With a secret glee, Will sat down in the chair opposite his straight-laced boss. "Why are you really drunk, Boss?"

"She's wearing me out, man." Edward rubbed his hands over his face. "I can't do it any more. Can't take it."

"Who's wearing you out?"

"Beauuuuutiful Bella."

"I thought you were taking Bella out to dinner tonight?"

Edward dropped his hands to the desk and moped, "I don't think I can. Do you know that she's a mymfo…a nump…" He licked his lips and tried again. "She's addicted to my cock."


	18. THANKS and Help Needed

RULE-BREAKING AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I don't think I can fully express my shock at **Hedone Ranch** winning two **2014 Fandom Choice Awards**; Best Non-Canon and Best Non-Traditional. Although I must admit Hedone Ranch is absolutely both of those things! I am truly stunned at the love all of you have shown my little old fic that hasn't been updated in a year and a half... I see new hits all the time, and I appreciate every single one.

As a thank you from me, I dug out a Demetri outtake I promised to jadsmama and that I never posted anywhere. I think the reason I didn't post it any earlier was that I was disappointed that Demetri didn't want to talk dirty to ME...he was more worried about what Carlisle was up to! You can find it on Hedone Ranch Cutting Room Floor & Alt POVs.

SINCE I've been terrible at following the "M" rating rules for this story, let's break some more and have a little vote, shall we?

There are 3 Hedone Ranch futuretake ideas running around in my brain. Trying to decide which one to commit to and finish. I could use some input, so review and tell me which one you would like to see made into a chapter!

1. Carlisle has the ranch listed as a members-only health and wellness spa for tax purposes - and is getting audited. Also has woman listed as head of business. Needs Bella to "roleplay" she's the boss.

2. Carlisle providing "enrichment" lecture for his 400 level Human Sexuality class - Aro and a guest to demonstrate Aro's skill set (review his chapter if you forgot). Aro's guest falls sick. Will Bella fill in? Will Carlisle be jealous?

3. Carlisle infiltrates Social Media. Wants to be a cross between Dr. Ruth and James Deen. Wants Bella to join him online as he demonstrates (quite vividly - think Deen with more talking) his knowledge.

Leave me a review on this chapter and let me know if one of these futuretakes speaks to you, okay? And THANKS AGAIN for the votes in the Fandom Choice Awards!

JenJadeEyes


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